The war in Ukraine

On behalf of everyone in the blender.org organization I hereby fully and loudly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This illegal and murderous act in the heart of Europe threatens the peace of everyone in the world. The devastating consequences for the lives of millions of Ukrainians break our hearts. President Putin and his clique have to be stopped. We can only hope that a large majority of good willing Russians themselves find a peaceful way out of this crisis.

In the past few days we have received messages that we should block access to blender.org from Russia, or add a message in the Blender splash. This, however, is not the best thing I believe we should do. I wish to hold the principles of our mission high – to contribute to Free Software for everyone and to defend the freedom of artists and developers. I believe that our work contributes to a better world, and that we should keep doing this with more effort and conviction than ever. Blender is for everyone.

We all at Blender, jointly and individually, intend to do something to help out. For example, to aid refugees coming to the Netherlands. These actions will be done using the appropriate channels, such as the Dutch Council for Refugees. We consider that normal acts for responsible citizens and good European neighbors.

I wish everyone who has been affected by this horrible situation a lot of strength. I sincerely hope it will be over soon.

Ton Roosendaal
Chairman Blender Foundation