Activists from across the US will gather at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, February 20 at 2:00 PM to take part in the eighth annual vigil honoring fallen heroes of the 2013-14 Revolution of Dignity, and to petition President Biden for a stronger stance in deterring Russia.

The rally will specifically petition the Biden Administration to:

• Enact potent sanctions including stopping Nord Stream 2 in response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and its failure to de-escalate and withdraw its forces from the Ukrainian border.
• Prepare and announce further crippling sanctions, such as cutting Russia off from SWIFT, which would trigger immediately upon further invasion of Ukraine.
• Continue sending Ukraine sufficient quantities of effective weapons to enable Ukrainians to defend their territorial integrity and independence.

Click here for press release.

What you need to know:

Vladimir Putin’s puppet, Viktor Yanukovych, had won the election as president of Ukraine by promising close ties to the West—but he secretly negotiated a deal to bring the former Soviet republic back into Moscow’s sphere of influence. The people of Ukraine were betrayed and then revolted in a series of protests that will go down in history as the Ukrainian revolution of 2014. It is also known simply as Euromaidan, named for the pro-European tilt of the protests and the central square in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, where the demonstrations began.

Of course, the story of the anti-Soviet/Russian protests in Ukraine does not have a completely happy ending. Putin responded with a Russian invasion of Ukraine, a struggle that continues as the Ukrainian government continues to plead for weapons for self-defense. Putin’s invasion had to be based in part on the knowledge that if a revolution could depose his crony in Ukraine, it could also happen to him.

Now, sensing the West will not defend Ukraine under a weak U.S. President and a German member of NATO making a deal with Russia for gas, Putin thinks he has a new opportunity.

Another invasion gives a green light to Chinese dictator Xi to take Taiwan.

The press release from the Sunday event organizers makes the further points:

• In response to Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine, the US and its allies instituted economic sanctions. Unfortunately, these existing sanctions have not prevented Vladimir Putin from continuing this war, which has claimed more than 14,000 lives. Much stronger sanctions need to be prepared and publicly announced in order to act as a deterrent to further Russian invasion.

• The Ukrainian people and armed forces are firmly committed to defending themselves against any threat to their democracy and independence. However, to stand up to Russia, Ukraine needs continued support— particularly anti-armor systems, air defense, and coastal defense. The US recently provided Ukraine several hundred more Javelin anti-tank missiles and other aid but many experts see this as only a partial deterrent against the troops, modern tanks, and aircraft Russia has in place.