The world is in a state of restlessness and despair. For two years we’ve been working and acting in accordance with Covid restrictions, we’ve lost friends and family and have been worried about their wellbeing. Just when hopes were high that the pandemic may be coming to an end, Russia created the current political crisis, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the end of the Cold War. It has now escalated to a full-fledged war, an attempt to take over Ukraine during which Putin has shown his true ruthless nature, targeting not only the Ukrainian forces but also innocent civilians. The atrocities that we are shown in the news daily from Ukraine are incomprehensible, but it is all real and happening right now in the heart of Europe. President Putin is no longer stopping at his wish to rewrite history; he now took forceful strides towards changing state borders, towards shaking the order of the world to the core, and to destroying democratic values.
Every one of us who deals with researching and preserving history carries the responsibility of making sure the voice of truth rings out loudly and clearly in the present and in the future. How can we accomplish that? By doing what we do day to day: documenting what’s taking place, collecting and organizing the information we’ve gathered, digitalizing and publishing. In this way, we cover our backs and see to it that the truth rises and falsehood is diminished. We tell our story to everyone, the story of the Baltic countries and of their diaspora communities as well as those of other Eastern European states and spread them throughout the world. This is our way of supporting Ukraine in its fight for freedom and standing with its people because this is a unified fight for us all. Slava Ukraini!
In hopes of a brighter and more positive future,
Piret Noorhani Editor-in-Chief