Nonviolent resistance

Non-violent resistance is an activity that doesn't involve direct confrontation with the Russian occupiers. All assistance that harms the enemy in the temporarily occupied territory is very important to the Ukrainian Defence Forces.

General rules of non-violent resistance

  • Your safety is above all. 
Try not to reveal your intentions so that there would be no risk of them being discovered. Act discreetly. Plan precautionary measures that will prevent you from being discovered.
  • Always have an alibi.
 Think about it in advance, formulate it simply and clearly.
  • Plan your resistance clearly and without unnecessary details.
  • Act where it is difficult to identify the person responsible. 
Choose the time, place, and goals so that responsibility falls on a wide range of people.
  • Choose goals that you can achieve. 
If you don't have specialised knowledge, do only what you can.
  • Sabotage. 
Deliberate refusal to work, direct opposition to its execution, or misconduct during work are better than direct action.
  • Harm the occupiers by destroying or damaging important assets.
 This can include fuel, food, and medicine.
  • Use tools that seem safe.
 For example, a folding knife or a multi-tool for different types of damage. The presence of salt, sugar, matches, cloth, spanners, hammers, sandpaper, solvents in the household can also be easily explained in the event of a search or suspicion.
  • Don't try to wait for the result of your actions. Observers become suspicious. But if it is near your place of work or residence, i.e. you can explain why you are there, of course, stay close by.
  • Keep the results of your actions secret.
  • Don't store any incriminating materials on your devices (personal computer, laptop, tablet, phone): photos, videos, contacts.

Domestic sabotage in the occupier's rear

You can harm the enemy and help Ukraine with simple actions where you live or work.  But do it only if you are sure you will not be exposed.

Here are some ways to do so.

Adjusting the power supply in your office or residential building. You can change the light bulbs in the room so that the fuses trip and there will be no light. To do this, unscrew the light bulb and place a coin in the socket when the lights are off during the day. Then screw the bulb back in. A similar effect can be achieved with a shorted electrical plug. Try to insert it into all the sockets you see on your way. 

Damage wires. See the power cord of any appliance? If it is not inserted into the socket, damage and cut it to create a short circuit. But don't plug it back in afterwards – leave it to the occupiers.

Damage to office equipment. Noticed any equipment that has easy access to its chips? Spray it with salt water. The more salt, the better. After the water dries, the salt crystals will cause the contacts on the circuit boards to close. This is not only true for computer equipment. Machines in production are similarly damaged.

Damage to machinery in manufacturing (industrial). Any machine requires maintenance and cleanliness. Of course, if you want it to work. And if you need to break it down, forget about maintenance, the rule of not overheating, or the correct handling of the machine. A good addition to the oil used for the machine is sawdust, wooden or metal, or even sand. 

If you work with a drilling machine, you know how costly and even high-tech drills can overheat and break. Add more pressure. If the machine is equipped with a cooling system, disable it. Simply add cereal, buckwheat or rice, for example.

If the machine or device has a belt drive, the belt can be cut or the fasteners and nuts can be loosened. Replacing such a belt will be a problem for the occupier.

There are many ways to cause damage: as many as you can think of. However, before you sabotage, first of all, take care of your safety!