Buterin Denounces Russian Invasion: 'Criminal Aggression' Must Be Condemned

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum and native-born Russian-Canadian, has publicly denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling it 'criminal aggression' in a recent post on X.

In the statement, released ahead of the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion on February 24th, Buterin rejected the common justifications for the invasion, including claims that Russia was protecting its borders or responding to the democratic aspirations of Russian-speaking populations.

Buterin acknowledged that Western nations had made mistakes in the past and that some grievances against Ukraine may have merit, but argued that these did not justify the scale and nature of the violence unleashed by Russia in 2022. He cited specific events such as the attack on Mariupol theater, killings in Bucha, strikes on hospitals, and 'human safari' in Kherson as evidence of the war's true aims.

The Ethereum co-founder also criticized what he saw as a stalemate in Russia's opposition movement, comparing it to a similar impasse in the cryptocurrency industry. He urged Russian opposition leaders to develop new strategies rather than rely on a stagnant status quo and called for Western nations to support Ukraine's efforts to degrade Russia's military capacity.