Dear editor,

February 24 marks the anniversary of one of Europe’s post-WW II darkest hours, Russia’s totally unprovoked and brutal military aggression against the Ukranian people. Literally millions of innocent civilians were thus forced to either be murdered or flee their homes and seek refuge in neighboring countries. The free world has responded by sanctioning the aggressor in many ways, including, for instance, a ban on the sale of most Russian products and a ban on Russian participation in competitive sports.

It is with great disappointment that I had to discover thatPediatric Blood and Cancer does not at all deem such measures necessary: The journal’s most recent issue prominently features a report by a group based in Russia (1). While this group’s members are certainly respected physicians and may not at all endorse the war and its brutality, publishing a paper originating in the aggressor’s country most certainly does. It tells us that the war is to be considered normal and implies that we should go back to minding our own business. However, this is our own business: We must do everything in our might to end the brutal military aggression! Until this is achieved, not publishing a single word from the aggressor’s country seems like the least we can do, the least we should do, and, yes, the least we as the international Pediatric Oncology community must do. It would certainly be the right thing to do for Pediatric Blood and Cancer !

Prof. Dr. Stefan S. Bielack Cooperative Osteosarkomstudiengruppe COSS Klinikum Stuttgart – Olgahospital Stuttgart Cancer Center Zentrum für Kinder-, Jugend- und Frauenmedizin Pädiatrie 5 (Onkologie, Hämatologie, Immunologie) 70176 Stuttgart Germany