Highland Council unanimously votes to award Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the Freedom of the Highlands for his defiant leadership in the face of the Russian invasion while Convener Bill Lobban labelled Vladimir Putin was 'a war criminal and mass murdered'
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been awarded the Freedom of the Highlands for his defiant leadership in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The move was agreed unanimously during an emotional emergency item on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and on how the council and the Highlands can help.
By contrast President Zelenskyy’s counterpart Vladimir Putin was labelled “a war criminal and mass murderer” who is “intent on obliterating” Ukraine and its people.
Councillors agreed to divest the council of all investments and holdings in Russian companies, the finance sub-committee will meet today [Friday] to finalise the move.
They also roundly condemned UK immigration rules and demanded them to be changed immediately to provide a safe haven for Ukrainian fleeing war.
The debate focussed evenly on what can be done by the council and locals with a view emerging that money is now needed more than donations of supplies.
Convener Bill Lobban opened the item, saying: “Vladimir Putin is a war criminal and mass murdered who appears intent on obliterating the sovreign nation of Ukraine and its people from the map.
“The armed forces and citizens of Ukraine clearly have other ideas and have continued to valiantly defend their homeland from unprovoked aggression.”
Cllr Margaret Paterson delivered a heartfelt address saying “Let us do something and do it now for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.”
“Daily people ask: how do they go about giving a home to these poor people but at the moment I can't answer as I don't because I don’t know. I am happy now to take in at least two families who need help. Right now, not in weeks,” she said.
“So why can't we do that? Especially people like me who have space and wants to because it does break your heart. Let us do something and do it now for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, who have lost everything through no fault of their own but the fault of a madman.”
Conservative Cllr Andrew Sinclair supported independent, Liberal Democrat and SNP members for “calling out the Home Office for its quite disgraceful restrictions” on Ukrainian refugees.
“Cllr Paterson earlier spoke about her desire to take in Ukrainian refugees. And one of the things I was struck by over the last fortnight is just how many people have exactly the same sentiment themselves.
“I don't think I've ever known a war in my lifetime where people have been so willing to do their bit and I think Cllr Paterson – all credit to you know, if I was in a position to do so I would be saying exactly the same thing.
“I think the reason that this is quite raw for me is that Ukraine's a country I've spent time in over the last few years and I was fortunate enough to be there only three months ago when the massing of Russian forces was starting from the headlines across the West.
“And one of the things that really struck me last night was even when faced with your neighbour, the largest country, the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons was the sheer defiance they have.
“You would talk to people and you would ask them if they were concerned and they would say, ‘we've been living with this for decades, they have been down on us for years. It's not the first time they've threatened an invasion.’
“And that resilience and that determination that they would carry on lives was really quite striking. And not something that I think you would find in many countries, actually.
“All I can say and I am sure I speak for all of us is one big Slava Ukraini [Glory to Ukraine]!”
