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Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, who was born in Moscow in Russia and lived there until she was 11, says she is “devastated by the events in Ukraine”.
For most of the 20th Century, Ukraine and Russia were part of the Soviet Union, and from 1941 they fought in the Allied powers in the Second World War.
Deputy Kazantseva-Miller, pictured top, who was elected to the States in 2020, has a family history which is linked to Russia and Ukraine.
Pictured: Moscow, the capital of Russia, where Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller was born when Russia and Ukraine were part of the same country - the Soviet Union.
She described the war between the two countries which is now underway as “nothing short of a civil war between brothers and sisters”.
Deputy Kazantseva-Miller was speaking to Express on Saturday afternoon ahead of a candlelit vigil in Town in support of people who are suffering or at risk in the conflict and in support of peace in Europe.
“This is a very difficult time for both countries who have a deeply intertwined history, culture and traditions,” she said.
“The two nations fought hand in hand in the Second World War and it would be unthinkable to our grandparents that they are fighting against each other 80 years on.”
My aunt: It is impossible to imagine that my mother, who lost her parents & became orphaned at 7, fought against Hitler with the Russian people, had to hide in a haystack from Nazi German soldiers, today, at the age of 85, is hiding in the basement in Kyiv from Russian soldiers.
— Валерія Voshchevska ???????? (@Val_Voshchevska) February 26, 2022
Pictured: Valeriia Voshchevska, a Ukrainian who is the global social media manager for Amnesty International, echoed Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller's despair at the thought of war between neighbours Russia and Ukraine.
On Thursday, after years of diplomatic and military disputes between Russia and Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale assault on the north, east and south of Ukraine.
Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said that “everyday people” should not be blamed for the events unfolding in Eastern Europe.
“This is a deep wound that can only be healed by showing solidarity and compassion. We have to stay away from sweeping generalisation about nations and pointing fingers at everyday people,” she said.
Pictured: Ukraine borders European Union countries to the west and Russia to the east.
Before settling in Guernsey, where she lives with her husband and their children, Deputy Kazantseva-Miller studied in London and Singapore and worked in Russia and Thailand. As a child, she also lived in Spain, after her family left the Soviet Union.
She said that the return of war in Europe was a reminder of the importance of promoting the right values in leadership everywhere.
“We must also not forget that we all have a role to play in our communities and beyond to stand up for values that we believe should drive our culture in our personal lives, business relations and our democratic systems,” she said.
“Our actions in our own communities will percolate on the other side of the world like wings of butterflies causing storms.
“One can only hope that a phoenix might rise from the ashes and bring about profound changes.”
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