What happens when you refuse to fight?

The world is militarising, and conscription is back. What happens to those who believe that violence is not the answer? To find out, I spoke to Yurii Sheliazhenko, Executive Secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, legal scholar, and winner of the Seán MacBride Peace Prize.Yurii has been a declared conscientious objector since 1998. He’s also been charged with justifying Russian aggression — based on a document he wrote that explicitly condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His trial will be on May 13.I had a fascinating discussion with Yurii, and learned a lot. Scroll down for an edited transcript of the interview, the video itself (or audio podcast here if you prefer). And after, the usual five links + quick thoughts you’ll find in each edition of this newsletterFirst, here are my quick take-aways from this interview and from preparing for it:The machinery of forced conscription is breaking down. In Ukraine, 200,000 soldiers have gone AWOL, 2 million men are dodging draft…