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514 Media statement regarding events in Ukraine

“Ukraine has become the front line in a struggle, not just between democracies and autocracies but in a struggle for maintaining a rules-based system in which the things that countries want are not taken by force,” Fiona Hill said. “Every country in the world should be paying close attention to this.” Ms Hill should know what she’s talking about… she worked in both Republican and Democratic administrations in the US.

Like many, I’ve been looking from afar at what’s been happening in Ukraine – trying to make sense of it all, cutting through the outrage and the propaganda. 514 Media is a relatively small business and I have been wondering what we could do to have a positive impact. As a starting point, we made a small contribution to a Polish camp that started to receive many refugees. This will help reduce the suffering; but it won’t be nearly enough.

We are an international business registered in the United Kingdom. We have an international mindset. We do business globally, across many continents and in a variety of jurisdictions. We seek the continuation of a rules-based world order, an approach that enabled trade and commerce to flourish, lifting millions of people out of poverty and ensuring peace throughout Europe. All of this is now under serious threat.

This “Special Operation” – which really is a war of aggression – must stop, and it must stop now. It’s time to stand up and be counted. We are keen to uphold the highest standards of good Environmental, Social and Corporate (ESG) Governance. Just like people didn’t want to invest their money in South Africa during the apartheid era, we simply cannot invest in Russia during the country’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, an independent country.

This is our stance.

It’s a relatively simple step, but it’s an important one. This is what we believe in, and this is what we are now fighting for.

Benoit Simoneau