Britain urged millions of Russians on Wednesday to “make their feelings heard” to their own government about the horrors of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Cabinet minister Sajid Javid encouraged citizens in Russia to “react” to the atrocities being carried out by Mr Putin’s forces in Bucha, Mariupol and other towns and cities in Ukraine.
He issued the appeal as Kyiv police chief Andriy Nebitov said 1,200 war crimes had already been committed by Russian troops in the region.
Asked on Sky News whether the UK was pushing for regime change in Moscow, Mr Javid said: “It’s ultimately up to the Russian people about the leadership of their country.“But I do think our Prime Minister was right yesterday to appeal directly to the Russian people.
“I know a lot of Russians, I’m sure many people listening do, the vast majority are just ordinary, decent, compassionate people and do they really want to see this war unfolding, especially in the way that it is is in their name.
“If there is an opportunity for them to make their feelings heard to their own government, I hope that they listen to Boris Johnson and others and react.”
Thousands of Russians have already been arrested in Moscow, St Petersburg and other cities after protesting against Mr Putin’s invasion.
The Kremlin is imposing a draconian clampdown on media outlets, with some which did not follow the official line that the invasion is a “special operation” to disarm Ukraine having been closed down.
However, in the era of social media and mobile phones, Mr Putin is facing a more difficult task than in past decades to stop the truth getting through to the public.
Boris Johnson has issued a direct video appeal, speaking partly in Russian, to people across Russia.
He told of the horrors of Bucha, near Kyiv, where more than 300 civilians are believed to have been killed by Russian forces, some executed with their hands tied behind their back, with signs of torture, women raped, and mass graves discovered.
The Prime Minister condemned Mr Putin’s war crimes as a “stain on the honour of Russia” and that they “betray the trust of every Russian mother who proudly waves goodbye to her son as he heads off to join the military”.
Speaking directly to the Russian nation, he added: “Those responsible will be held to account.
“And history will remember who looked the other way.
“Your president is committing war crimes. But I cannot believe he’s acting in your name.”
Mr Javid stressed that the plight of so many Ukrainians, including the picture of a Ukrainian mother who scrawled contact details on her two-year-old daughter’s back in case she and the rest of the family are killed in the conflict, “strengthens the resolve of all of us” to force Mr Putin to end his barbaric war.
He told Sky News: “What we are seeing unfolding now in Ukraine is absolutely appalling.
“These atrocities we are now sadly seeing almost daily on our TV screens, and the image you just talked of, when I first saw that image, I think yesterday, you know, it could have been my daughter, it could be anyone’s daughter, their son, just to think that’s what parents are having to do in Ukraine right now because the choice that Vladimir Putin has made, and we should never forget this as a choice.
“This was not a a war for any other reason than something that Vladimir Putin had just chosen to do. We will continue to help Ukraine in every way that we can, whether that’s military support, whether it’s with support of our sanctions on Russia and humanitarian support.”
