It’s a real shame to see this kind of behaviour on the amateur bands and it’s detrimental and damaging to the hobby. You can work whatever stations you like to work within the terms of your Ofcom licence. As far as I am aware, there is no variation to the licence which states we are forbidden from contacting Russian stations. Furthermore, I fail to see what the war in Ukraine has to do with the average Russian radio hobbyist; they are not responsible for how their government chooses to behave. Amateur radio is apolitical and always has been. If we want to bring cancel culture type virtue signalling into amateur radio, then I do not wish to be party to this and there are some glaring questions. When did we ever advocate boycotting Russian radio amateurs during the war in Chechnya or Georgia? Why are we not, by the same logic, boycotting Saudi Arabian stations for the war in Yemen? Ever thought about India and Pakistan anyone? What was your policy on Irish stations when the IRA were bombing Omagh and Manchester? Ask yourselves these questions and think about the logic. Are you really helping anyone?
One might attempt to claim they have in fact been boycotting these countries all along and are therefore the vanguard of virtue, ahead of the curve. There is no precedent to this in amateur radio and I implore people (including the RSGB) to honestly think objectively about the logic behind what they are really advocating when they demand that people should boycott Russian radio amateurs. Are they doing the best for amateur radio or are they virtue signalling to make themselves appear as though they are better people whilst actually being no help whatsoever to the people Ukraine or to the amateur radio hobby.
Let’s keep politics out of the hobby please and keep in mind who the people are at the other end of the QSO. They are generally ordinary radio hobbyists just like you and I, each with their own individual lives, personalities and views. One cannot claim to know the views of someone one has never met. Even if a particular radio amateur supports the Russian invasion, there is no way I could know that without asking and I cannot assume it to be true without gathering evidence or bringing politics into QSO.
It pains me to even talk about this because by doing so, I too am bringing politics to an amateur radio discussion and I don’t like it. Let’s refrain from this madness and just enjoy the hobby everyone.
