(Image by NEIVANMADE)
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump:
Today, the terrorist state began to chair the UN Security Council, and yesterday the Russian army killed another Ukrainian child – address of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
1 April 2023 – 20:02
Dear Ukrainians, I wish you health!
I signed two decrees on sanctions against those who work for Russian aggression.
These are officials of the aggressor state, its defense industry – hundreds of companies – and collaborators. It is about more than 650 newly sanctioned persons.
The NSDC will continue this work. And none of those who help terrorists, work for them, supply or manufacture weapons for terror – none will escape liability.
The blocking of accomplices of terror, the isolation of the terrorist state, its defeat, and trials are what await all those who started and are waging war against Ukraine and the international order.
By the way, this week Switzerland joined the tenth sanctions package of the European Union.
It is important when the states that are neutral in the military-political sense nevertheless take a clear moral position towards Russian terror, towards Russia’s destruction of the global order based on rules.
Only in unity can we preserve peace as the basis of international relations, and I thank Switzerland for the relevant decisions.
I spoke today with President of France Emmanuel Macron. In detail, one hour. About the situation at the front, our political interaction, about how we are moving in implementing the Ukrainian Peace Formula. Thank you, France for your unwavering support.
In general, the week brought a number of positive news for Ukraine, for our defense, and for defending the regular life of all free nations.
Within the framework of the OSCE, work on the first separate international report, which will be dedicated to Russia’s forced deportation of Ukrainian children and attempts to assimilate our children, began.This crime committed by Russia is one of the most cynical and anti-human crimes of our time.
Russia commits it systematically and calculates it, at the state level. Accountability for it will be systemic too. Accountability of Russia as a state and everyone involved.
Thanks to Germany for the new steps in defense support that were taken this week.
Thanks to Croatia for another defense support package. Thanks to North Macedonia for the decision on helicopters. Thanks to Slovakia, Slovenia.
Thank you to Canada for the financial support, the funds have already arrived in the state budget of Ukraine.
Thanks to the IMF for the new programme for Ukraine. The programme is approved. The size is more than $15 billion. This will help us preserve social stability.
Unfortunately, we also have news that is obviously absurd and destructive. Today, the terrorist state began to chair the UN Security Council.
Yesterday, the Russian army killed another Ukrainian child – a five-month-old boy named Danylo. From Avdiyivka, in Donbas, together with his parents who were injured. Russian artillery… One of the hundreds of artillery strikes that the terrorist state launches every day.
And at the same time, Russia chairs the UN Security Council.It is hard to imagine something evident that proves the complete bankruptcy of such institutions…
There is no such form of terror that has not yet been committed by Russia. And there will be no such reason that will stop the reform of global institutions, in particular, the UN Security Council. The reform that is clearly overdue – so that a terrorist state and any other state that wants to be a terrorist cannot disrupt the peace.
Terrorists must lose, must be held accountable for terror, and not preside anywhere.
Glory to all who are now in battle!
I thank everyone who helps Ukraine. Who defends the international order based on rules! Thank you to everyone who saves and helps save our people after being injured by Russian shelling!
Eternal memory to all adults and children whose lives were taken by the terror of Russia!
Glory to Ukraine!
Here is a machine translation of the latest operational update from the Ukrainian MOD:
Here is former NAVDEVGRU Squadron Leader Chuck Pfarrer’s latest assessments of the situations in Bakhmut:
NOTE: The previous city map posted ay 2125 UTC 1 APL did not display an accurate depiction of the ‘zero line’ in S Bakhmut. Though the line of contact is variously reported, this inset shows the Foward Edge of the Battle Area based on latest reports. Updates will follow. pic.twitter.com/vtAD7cn14d
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) April 1, 2023
BAKHMUT CITY /1315 UTC 1 APL/ The 0600 report : ‘Bakhmut axis: the enemy does not stop storming the city of Bakhmut, trying to take it under complete control”. UKR Lines of Communication & Supply are functioning, but RU is registering gains in heavy and costly urban fighting. pic.twitter.com/gRb174jQin
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) April 1, 2023
Bakhmut:
It’s snowing in Bakhmut.
🎥 @operativno_ZSU pic.twitter.com/9rjEaavw4r
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 1, 2023
🇺🇦👊🏻
The defense for #Bakhmut is unstoppable🔥🔥📽 April 1, 2023 pic.twitter.com/5kWR7m6Vpz
— АЗОВ South (@Azovsouth) April 1, 2023
Tochka-U on Russian positions inside AZOM, northern Bakhmut. pic.twitter.com/1Kjk26th5P
— NOËL 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) April 1, 2023
Vuhledar:
Russian incendiary strikes on Vuhledar. Horrible munition that can burn everything it finds in its way. pic.twitter.com/ESnaz5G61z
— NOËL 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) April 1, 2023
Avdiivka:
The 36th Marine Brigade, first class heroes that are kicking *ss in Avdiivka environment are clearing enemy trenches. Brave warriors. pic.twitter.com/cgA38tIJwe
— NOËL 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) April 1, 2023
– I'm not going anywhere! I am NOT going anywhere.
– You endanger the life of your husband, baby and your own only for a house!
– That's right. Because I built it myself!
– It's just bricks. You can build another one.
– I will not go anywhere, that's it.— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) April 1, 2023
Here is the third part of the Ukrainian officer serving in/near Vuhledar who tweets as Tatarigami’s analysis of how the US and NATO have not fully committed to support Ukraine and that the Ukrainian military is not properly organized. First tweet below, then the rest from the Thread Reader App:
Thread🧵
1/ It is my belief that NATO and the US have not fully committed to stop russia in Ukraine. However, there are areas within our own military that require attention. As discussed in Part I, I will reference an article by Glen Grant to discuss these issues pic.twitter.com/L65qr6SU6D
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) April 1, 2023
2/ Glen suggests that a priority policy should be implemented to replace all military personnel who are not performing frontline tasks with civilians who have comparable or better related skills. Additionally, the use of TrO volunteers should be considered.3/ In some cases, commanders have been selected through nepotism or connections rather than their performance and results. This is a concerning issue that needs to be addressed immediately to ensure that the most qualified individuals are appointed to leadership positions.4/ It is imperative to establish a policy that streamlines the identification process of potential commanders for promotion and simultaneously identifies those who are unsuitable for command.5/ A fundamental area that requires urgent action is collective training. It is crucial for units to receive collective training to improve their skills and ensure that they can work effectively as a team.6/ In larger NATO countries, collective training is regularly conducted at battalion and brigade levels and even at the division level during major exercises. Lessons learned from the front line should be passed on to every soldier and instructor to improve their training.7/ Staff appointments such as Chief J7 (Training) should not make command decisions about training requirements. Commanders should only be appointed to command operations or to command the creation and training of units for operations.8/ The lack of standardization across the Ukrainian army is a significant problem that hinders successful operations. The mix of the Soviet system, NATO standards, and improvisation has led to chaos. It is essential to establish a unified system.9/ The reliance on Ukroboronprom to produce defence weapons has resulted in a monopolistic system that is not perfectly suitable for war. It has proven to be slow in delivering the necessary weapons and equipment.10/ The military medical system has major weaknesses. Uncoordinated training for soldiers in battlefield medicine, and poor policies at the national level for supporting and funding the seriously injured or those needing basic medical drugs.11/ It is crucial to have an officer in each unit who is not in the battle space and can assist with necessary documentation for families when a partner dies or is critically injured.12/ In order to ensure a streamlined logistics process, each area must have a dedicated logistics hub, that ensures that no brigade has to reach back more than one hour’s drive to obtain what they require.13/ In instances where extreme distances are involved, the logistics “socket” should be extended to bring the required supplies closer to the unit. The logistics power socket should encompass the essential elements of combat supply14/ including medical supply and evacuation, unit combat supplies such as food, fuel, ammunition, batteries, vehicle spares, and drones, personal equipment of all types through digital registration15/ reach-back ability for technical equipment for replacement and repair such as phones, computers, and radios, and forward maintenance of all soft-skin and armored vehicles up to engine and barrel changes, and minor body repair,16/ In addition to the insightful observations made by Glen Grant, I would like to contribute my own observations regarding the current state of Ukraine’s military organization. It is important to note that Ukraine’s highest organizational unit is the brigade,17/ as it does not have standing armies or divisions. However, there exist de facto “territorial” organizational units that coordinate the actions of multiple brigades. While these units may function like divisions in some ways, they lack a proper division structure18/ and their assigned officers are typically temporary. In comparison, division or an army has a clearly defined structure that operates as a single mechanism with clearly defined duties and responsibilities.19/ In my forthcoming conclusion thread, I intend to provide a summary of the pressing concerns that require attention. In my view, merely seeking assistance from our allies is insufficient; it is imperative that we undertake internal changes to preserve the lives of our soldiers
Full version of the article by Glen Grant that I am referring to can be located here: https://t.co/tYaUCu8UNr
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) April 1, 2023
The first post is here, one addendum to it is here and another here, the second thread is here.
He also brings us news of Wagner’s latest war crime:
Thread🧵
1/ A well-known pro-Russian channel called "Поздняков 3.0" with over 240,000 subscribers recently uploaded a video that allegedly shows members of the "Wagner" group torturing a man who is tied up. pic.twitter.com/y5GiJFamhv
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) April 1, 2023
3/ The man appears to be semi-conscious and is being held by another masked individual while a third person plays the violin next to him. The act of playing the violin is a reference to the Wagner group, who are often referred to as "musicians."
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) April 1, 2023
5/ It is worth noting that many of the emojis posted in response to the video appear to approve such a behavior. It also should be noted that the authenticity of the video has not yet been confirmed and efforts are being made to identify the man in the video.
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) April 1, 2023
I thought some of you might find this interesting:
The chart below shows how control of the country has developed each month over the course of the war.
Prior to the invasion on 24th February 2022, Russia occupied approximately 6.45% of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/sw46qxZciR
— War Mapper (@War_Mapper) April 1, 2023
A final graph highlighting the net changes to control each month. pic.twitter.com/qhrk7d9VJP
— War Mapper (@War_Mapper) April 1, 2023
Aerobatics from our MiG-29 pilot ✈️🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/k3FBDNN6F5
— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) April 1, 2023
Putin has signed a new foreign policy concept for the Russian Federation. Here’s some machine translated excerpts. And yes, it is as delusional as you might expect:
4. More than a thousand years of experience of independent statehood, the cultural heritage of the previous era, deep historical ties with traditional European culture and other cultures of Eurasia, the ability developed over many centuries to ensure the harmonious coexistence of various peoples, ethnic, religious and linguistic groups on a common territory determine the special position of Russia as an original state-civilization, a vast Eurasian and Euro-Pacific power that rallied the Russian people and other peoples that make up the cultural and civilizational community of the Russian world.
5. The place of Russia in the world is determined by the presence of significant resources in all spheres of life, its status as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UN), a member of leading interstate organizations and associations, one of the two largest nuclear powers, a successor state (successor) Union of the SSR. Russia, taking into account its decisive contribution to the victory in World War II, as well as its active role in the creation of a modern system of international relations and the elimination of the world system of colonialism, acts as one of the sovereign centers of world development and fulfills a historically unique mission to maintain a global balance of power and build multipolar international system, ensuring the conditions for a peaceful,
6. Russia is pursuing an independent and multi-vector foreign policy course dictated by its national interests and awareness of its special responsibility for maintaining peace and security at the global and regional levels. Russia’s foreign policy is peaceful, open, predictable, consistent, pragmatic, based on respect for the universally recognized principles and norms of international law and the desire for equal international cooperation in order to solve common problems and promote common interests. Russia’s attitude towards other states and interstate associations is determined by the constructive, neutral or unfriendly nature of their policy towards the Russian Federation.
II. The Modern World: Main Trends and Development Prospects
7. Humanity is going through an era of revolutionary change. The formation of a more just, multipolar world continues. The non-equilibrium model of world development, which for centuries ensured the outstripping economic growth of colonial powers by appropriating the resources of dependent territories and states in Asia, Africa and the Western Hemisphere, is irreversibly becoming a thing of the past. The sovereignty is being strengthened and the competitive opportunities of non-Western world powers and regional leaders are increasing. Structural restructuring of the world economy, its transfer to a new technological basis (including the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies, the latest information and communication, energy, biological technologies and nanotechnologies), the growth of national self-consciousness,
8. The ongoing, generally favorable, changes, however, cause rejection among a number of states, accustomed to thinking according to the logic of global domination and neo-colonialism. They refuse to recognize the realities of a multipolar world and, on this basis, to agree on the parameters and principles of the world order. Attempts are being made to restrain the natural course of history, eliminate competitors in the military-political and economic spheres, and suppress dissent. A wide range of illegal tools and methods are used, including the use of coercive measures (sanctions) bypassing the UN Security Council, provoking coups d’etat, armed conflicts, threats, blackmail, manipulation of the consciousness of certain social groups and entire nations, offensive and subversive operations in the information space. A common form of interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states has been the imposition of destructive neoliberal ideological attitudes that contradict traditional spiritual and moral values. As a result, the destructive impact extends to all spheres of international relations.
9. Serious pressure is being exerted on the UN and other multilateral institutions, whose purpose as platforms for coordinating the interests of the leading powers is artificially devalued. The international legal system is being tested for strength: a narrow group of states seeks to replace it with the concept of a world order based on rules (the imposition of rules, standards and norms in the development of which the equal participation of all interested states was not ensured). It becomes more difficult to develop collective responses to transnational challenges and threats, such as the illegal arms trade, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, dangerous pathogens and infectious diseases, the use of information and communication technologies for illegal purposes, international terrorism, illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, transnational organized crime and corruption, natural disasters and man-made accidents, illegal migration, environmental degradation. There is a degradation of the culture of dialogue in the international sphere, the effectiveness of diplomacy as a means of peaceful settlement of disputes is declining. There is an acute shortage of trust and predictability in international affairs.
10. The crisis of economic globalization is intensifying. The existing problems, including in the energy market and in the financial sector, are caused by the degradation of many previous development models and instruments, irresponsible macroeconomic decisions (including uncontrolled emission and accumulation of unsecured debts), unlawful unilateral restrictive measures and unfair competition. The abuse of individual states by their dominant position in some areas increases the processes of fragmentation of the world economy and inequality in the development of states. New national and cross-border payment systems are spreading, interest in new international reserve currencies is growing, prerequisites are being formed for diversifying the mechanisms of international economic cooperation.
11. The role of the force factor in international relations is growing, and the conflict space is expanding in a number of strategically important regions. The destabilizing build-up and modernization of offensive military potentials, the destruction of the system of arms control treaties undermine strategic stability. The use of military force in violation of international law, the development of outer space and information space as new areas of military operations, the blurring of the line between military and non-military means of interstate confrontation, the aggravation of chronic armed conflicts in a number of regions increase the threat to global security, increase the risks of clashes between large states, in including those with the participation of nuclear powers, increase the likelihood of such conflicts escalating and escalating into local,
12. A natural response to the crisis of the world order is the strengthening of cooperation between states subject to external pressure. The formation of regional and trans-regional mechanisms for economic integration and interaction in various fields, the creation of multi-format partnerships to solve common problems is being activated. Other (including unilateral) steps are also being taken to protect vital national interests. The high level of interdependence, global scope and the transnational nature of challenges and threats limit the possibilities for ensuring the security, stability and prosperity of individual states, military-political and trade-economic unions.
13. Considering the strengthening of Russia as one of the leading centers of development of the modern world, considering its independent foreign policy a threat to Western hegemony, the United States of America (USA) and its satellites used the measures taken by the Russian Federation to protect their vital interests in the Ukrainian direction as a pretext for exacerbation of many years of anti-Russian policy and unleashed a new type of hybrid war. It is aimed at weakening Russia in every possible way, including undermining its creative civilizational role, power, economic and technological capabilities, limiting its sovereignty in foreign and domestic policy, and destroying territorial integrity. This course of the West has acquired a comprehensive character and is fixed at the doctrinal level. It was not the choice of the Russian Federation. Russia does not consider itself an enemy of the West, does not isolate itself from it, has no hostile intentions towards it, and expects that in the future the states belonging to the Western community will realize the futility of their confrontational policy and hegemonic ambitions, take into account the complex realities of a multipolar world and return to pragmatic interaction with Russia, guided by the principles of sovereign equality and respect for each other’s interests. On this basis, the Russian Federation is ready for dialogue and cooperation. will take into account the complex realities of a multipolar world and return to pragmatic interaction with Russia, guided by the principles of sovereign equality and respect for each other’s interests. On this basis, the Russian Federation is ready for dialogue and cooperation. will take into account the complex realities of a multipolar world and return to pragmatic interaction with Russia, guided by the principles of sovereign equality and respect for each other’s interests. On this basis, the Russian Federation is ready for dialogue and cooperation.
14. In response to the unfriendly actions of the West, Russia intends to defend its right to existence and free development by all available means. The Russian Federation will concentrate its creative energy on the geographic vectors of its foreign policy, which have obvious prospects in terms of expanding mutually beneficial international cooperation. Most of humanity is interested in constructive relations with Russia and strengthening its position in the international arena as an influential world power making a decisive contribution to maintaining global security and ensuring the peaceful development of states. This opens up broad opportunities for the successful activities of the Russian Federation in the international arena.
IV. Priority directions of the foreign policy of the Russian Federation
Shaping a just and sustainable world order
18. Russia strives to form such a system of international relations that would ensure reliable security, preservation of cultural and civilizational identity, equal development opportunities for all states, regardless of their geographical location, size of territory, demographic, resource and military potentials, political, economic and social devices. In order to meet these criteria, the system of international relations must be multipolar and based on the following principles:
1) sovereign equality of states, respect for their right to choose models of development, social, political and economic structure;
2) rejection of hegemony in international affairs;
3) cooperation based on a balance of interests and mutual benefit;
4) non-interference in internal affairs;
5) the supremacy of international law in the regulation of international relations, the rejection of all states from the policy of double standards;
6) indivisibility of security in global and regional aspects;
7) the diversity of cultures, civilizations and models of organization of society, the refusal of all states to impose on other countries their development models, ideological and value orientations, reliance on a spiritual and moral guideline that is common to all world traditional religions and secular ethical systems;
8) responsible leadership of the leading states, aimed at ensuring stable and favorable conditions for development both for themselves and for other countries and peoples;
9) the leading role of sovereign states in making decisions in the field of maintaining international peace and security.
19. In order to facilitate the adaptation of the world order to the realities of a multipolar world, the Russian Federation intends to give priority attention to:
1) elimination of the vestiges of the dominance of the United States and other unfriendly states in world affairs, creating conditions for the rejection of any state from neo-colonial and hegemonic ambitions;
2) improvement of international mechanisms for ensuring security and development at the global and regional levels;
3) the restoration of the role of the UN as a central coordinating mechanism in coordinating the interests of the UN member states and their actions to achieve the goals of the UN Charter;
4) strengthening the potential and enhancing the international role of the BRICS interstate association, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), RIC (Russia, India, China) and other interstate associations and international organizations, as well as mechanisms with a significant participation of Russia;
5) support for regional and sub-regional integration within the framework of friendly multilateral institutions, dialogue platforms and regional associations in the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East;
6) increasing the stability and progressive development of the international legal system;
7) ensuring fair access for all states to the benefits of the world economy and the international division of labor, as well as to modern technologies in the interests of fair and equitable development (including solving the problems of global energy and food security);
8) intensifying cooperation in all spheres with Russia’s allies and partners, suppressing attempts by unfriendly states to prevent such cooperation;
9) consolidation of international efforts aimed at ensuring respect and protection of universal and traditional spiritual and moral values (including ethical norms common to all world religions), neutralizing attempts to impose pseudo-humanistic and other neoliberal ideological attitudes, leading to the loss of traditional spiritual and moral values by humanity. moral guidelines and moral principles;
10) constructive dialogue, partnership and mutual enrichment of different cultures, religions and civilizations.
Rule of law in international relations
20. Ensuring the rule of law in international relations is one of the foundations of a just and sustainable world order, maintaining global stability, peaceful and fruitful cooperation between states and their associations, is a factor in reducing international tension and increasing the predictability of world development.
21. Russia consistently stands for the strengthening of the legal foundations of international relations and fulfills its international legal obligations in good faith. At the same time, decisions of interstate bodies adopted on the basis of the provisions of international treaties of the Russian Federation in their interpretation that contradicts the Constitution of the Russian Federation are not subject to execution in the Russian Federation.
22. The mechanism for the formation of universal international legal norms should be based on the free will of sovereign states, and the UN should remain the main platform for the progressive development and codification of international law. Further advancement of the concept of a world order based on rules is fraught with the destruction of the international legal system and other dangerous consequences for humanity.
23. In order to increase the stability of the international legal system, prevent its fragmentation and weakening, and prevent the selective application of generally recognized principles and norms of international law, the Russian Federation intends to give priority attention to:
There’s a lot more at the link. It goes on and on and on and on like what I’ve copied and pasted above. If you feel the need click through and see for yourselves. I do, however, recommend using a good VPN.
That’s enough for tonight.
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karen marie
Wow. Putin is totally woke. How will this go down with his Republican fanbois?
Frankensteinbeck
I read some of the document, and… after a certain amount of Black Is White, I run out of interest. Yes, yes, Russia is the peaceful savior of all victims of the Colonizers, is responsible for all advancement, blah blah blah.
Roberto el oso
From the new foreign policy concept: “More than a thousand years of experience of independent statehood …” So it appears that the period of subjugation to the Mongols, which lasted in some areas of Russia well into the 15th century, is being cancelled.
Alison Rose
Yeah. Absurd is putting it mildly. I cannot wrap my mind around this at all. Nor can I continue to take the UNSC seriously. I’d call it Orwellian but I don’t want to make that man spin in his grave anymore than he probably already does on a regular basis.
I also cannot read that argle-bargle from putin. I mean, I assume he didn’t actually write it (not that I have any idea of how things work in the kremlin) but even still. I can’t bring myself to read the bullshit that country pumps out. It makes me want to scream into the void.
But still, of course, thank you as always, Adam.
CaseyL
What allies Russia still has are nations with histories of being colonized, so this speaks directly to them. Plus the USSR supported many of their liberation movements against the West.
Russia’s actions in Chechnya and Ukraine are seen as “wars against NATO,” i.e., Europe and the US… the same countries that were the colonizers.
Russia’s military strategy may be inept, but its propaganda is still expert level.
dmsilev
I will grant “predictable” and “consistent”. Not in a good way, of course.
Gin & Tonic
@CaseyL: Do you know anything at all about russia and its history of colonialism?
HumboldtBlue
A young Ukrainian boy visits his father and brings him a birthday cake for his 31st birthday
Anoniminous
JDAMs is a seriously cool weapon system and the BLU-136 would be a much needed counter to the Russian artillery advantage.
Alison Rose
@HumboldtBlue: My heart :(
zhena gogolia
@dmsilev: No, it’s not even that.
Roberto el oso
This document, in its high-mindedness, bears comparison to Stalin’s 1936 Constitution. The reality of 1936 was a state of savage barbarism. I’m sure that various admirable phrases will be quoted from this policy concept by the usual suspects, but it is ultimately a hollow and profoundly cynical document.
HumboldtBlue
@Alison Rose:
Yeah
Chetan Murthy
@CaseyL:
Obviously we can disagree, but I don’t think this is what one would normally call propaganda. Propaganda would be those little film clips of Ukrainian kids reuniting with their soldier parents, or soldiers on the frontline with kittens or puppies. This …. this isn’t meant to change any hearts/minds: it’s meant to be a pretext, a part of the use of power, not persuasion.
I mean c’mon, who’s gonna be convinced by fifteen miles of verbiage that nobody in their right mind can be arsed to completely read? That’s not there to be read, to convince; it’s there as a weapon, a bludgeon.
John Revolta
If that second map is correct RU seems to have made significant gains in S Bakhmut (“Ivangrad”)………!
Omnes Omnibus
@Chetan Murthy:
It may not be effective on you, but that doesn’t mean that it is not propaganda or that it is not effective on its intended audience.
Jay
@John Revolta:
The Moskovites have gone for the center of the town, rather than going for the edges.
Some of the Rachidists say it’s because they are worried that a UA Offensive will cut and clear the two salients on the flank.
StringOnAStick
@Roberto el oso: Well said; profoundly cynical is exactly right.
Anoniminous
Astounding levels of incompetence in the Russian military leadership have eroded Russia’s military reputation: UK statement to the OSCE
Wars are not won by propaganda. Wars are won by one side killing and out maneuvering the other side’s soldiers.
Splitting Image
@Frankensteinbeck:
It’s what a Donald Trump speech would sound like if he were articulate and capable of stringing two ideas together.
I got about a quarter of the way through, then decided that hard drugs would do less damage overall.
zhena gogolia
@Anoniminous: I’m trying to find out how many Russians died in Afghanistan, and I keep seeing 15,000. So that one led to a lot of unrest, maybe contributed to the end of the USSR. This is apparently so much worse.
Gin & Tonic
Since religious issues have been in the news (i.e. the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra) and I’ve seen comments which fundamentally misunderstand some major issues, I thought I’d put together a few words (in the Tony Jay sense of “few”) on the topic of some of the faith communities in Ukraine. Since I’ll be pretty fully occupied next week, this seemed to be my only chance.
I will only discuss two of the major faiths, because I don’t know enough to write about the others, but will note that Ukraine is a very religiously diverse country. In addition to the Catholic and Orthodox communities, there are various other Christian denominations (Baptists, other Evangelicals,) Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and “others.”
The Catholics tend to be found in western Ukraine (Galicia, Bukovina) in the areas that were once part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth or, later, the Austro-Hungarian Empire. While there are some Roman Catholics, the vast majority of Catholics are adherents of the Eastern (Byzantine) Rite, the church being somewhat awkwardly known as the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. Being more associated with western Ukraine and thus with Ukrainian nationalism, the church was long suppressed by the USSR, with clergy being imprisoned, sent to labor camps, often executed. A hero of the faith and of its believers, Josyf Slipyj, spent 18 years in various prison camps around the USSR until he was freed by Khrushchev in a goodwill gesture to Pope John XXIII, just before the Second Vatican Council. He lived the rest of his life in exile in Rome, and was named a Cardinal in ~1965. The church continued to serve its faithful in secret during the entire post-WWII period, and continued to secretly educate and ordain priests until the collapse of the USSR, when they could once again operate openly. In fact, the current head of the church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav, was ordained to the priesthood in secret.
It is worth noting that even though this is a Catholic church, subservient to the Pope, there are doctrinal differences allowed. Chief among them is that married men can be ordained as priests (although being in the hierarchy still requires celibacy.) I am personally acquainted with a fair number of priests who are married with children, and believe this to be beneficial to the church.
Orthodox Christianity is preponderant in Ukraine (and russia, and other former USSR countries.) While doctrinally similar to Catholicism, it does not owe allegiance to the Pope and is in general more decentralized. The split dates way back to 1054, if you’re interested in reading more, but it reflective of the then-power centers of Rome and Constantinople.
The Orthodox Church in both russia and Ukraine were also, to a degree, repressed after the 1917 revolution, but in the 1920’s there was a partial rapprochement, which led to a split between the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) and the church in russia. This split continued through WWII and the Cold War, with ROCOR being largely anti-Communist. This will explain the behavior of, for instance, the branches of ROCOR in Northern California in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Under Stalin, though, the church in russian and Ukraine was seriously repressed, with very large numbers of clergy imprisoned, internally exiled or executed, and the state taking over their properties. Once the USSR broke up, church activity returned, but took different directions in russia and Ukraine.
In russia, the church became an arm of the state; once VV Putin took power, the leader of the church, Patriarch Kirill, clearly saw which side his bread was buttered and acted accordingly. The church-state symbiosis is very well-documented, and has been commented on here repeatedly.
In Ukraine things were somewhat different. The government was tolerant of the church, and the church was in very general terms supportive, but it was never an active arm of the state. And there were several active branches: The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate) and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. These divisions largely reflected how individual congregations restored their activity after 1991, and UOC-MP was not (yet) the malign force it would become. Over time, though, it became clear that the UOC-MP was directly working in behalf of the russian government, and that became a point of real friction. Again, the UOC-KP and the UAOC were generally supportive of the government and of the aspirations of the Ukrainian people, but careful to distinguish support for national identity from involvement in politics or statecraft.
Following the Revolution of Dignity (aka Maidan) it became very clear that the aspirations of the Ukrainian people were not compatible with ecclesiastical control from Moscow, and efforts to gain independence increased. This was compounded by the fact that the UOC-MP (de facto the ROC) was the only Orthodox church in the territory of Ukraine recognized by the other Orthodox churches. Efforts to regain control did not represent a “schism” as some here have termed it, it was a unification and a return of national control. In fact there was a “Unification Council” held in 2018, which united the UOC-KP, the UAOC and a few elements (albeit a minority) of the UOC-MP under Metropolitan Epiphanius. In 2019, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople granted the combined church, then known as the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, a tomos of autocephaly – ecclesiastical independence. This was widely viewed (correctly, IMO) as a further indication of Ukraine’s independence from Moscow.
What is happening now, as in March-April of 2023, is the government in Kyiv working to assume control of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (monastery) from the elements of the UOC-MP which have been resident there for decades. The leader of that congregation, known as “Pasha Mercedes” (because of his taste in automobiles) has been placed under house arrest. This effort has been going on for a while, and is likely what leads to fascist Carlson’s diatribes about Ukrainians’ anti-Christian behavior. Like everything else that comes out of his mouth, it is a mixture of lies and incitement.
Princess
@CaseyL: yeah, I’m always shocked by how people on Twitter who are from former colonies, especially in Africa but not exclusively, eat this lying Russian propaganda right up. They sure know their audience.
HumboldtBlue
@Gin & Tonic:
This is why we read this blog.
Tony G
@Gin & Tonic: My understanding is that the reason why Russian territory exists east of the Ural Mountains is that, starting more than 400 years ago, Russian troops conquered and subjugated the indigenous Asian people of Siberia and the far eastern territories. Kind of similar to the conquest and subjugation of the indigenous people of the Western Hemisphere, at around the same time. But I guess when Russia did it, it wasn’t a colonial empire.
Alison Rose
@Gin & Tonic: Thank you for this, G&T.
Anoniminous
What front line combat is actually like.
Urban combat is the vilest form of an essentially vile business. The defenders actually fighting in Bakhmut are having a much rougher time. Their “rear areas” are hundreds of meters from the front line, not kilometers.
Anoniminous
@zhena gogolia:
And that was over 9 years. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ukrainians haven’t been inflicting that many per month during the Russian Winter Offensive.
Anoniminous
@Gin & Tonic:
Thank you
Wombat Probability Cloud
@Gin & Tonic: Very lucid. Thank you.
CaseyL
@Gin & Tonic:
Yes, but what i know isn’t the point.
The point is what the countries Russia is allied know, or believe. And they either don’t know Russia’s/USSR’s history, or consider Russia less of a colonialist than the West.
Roberto el oso
@zhena gogolia: I remember watching some news program in which a group of American (and maybe British?) reporters were speaking with an auditorium full of students at a Moscow university. This was during the Soviet incursion into Afghanistan. One of the students asked several questions about what the US had been thinking when it went into Vietnam and the reply was an attempt to draw similarities between what the Soviets were doing in Afghanistan. The students burst out laughing in incredulity, asking what the devil he was talking about, clearly not knowing anything about the situation. This was of course long before internet access/social media, etc., so however ruthlessly the Kremlin might be attempting to filter outside info, there’s no way they can do as thorough a job as they used to in keeping their citizens in the dark.
Another Scott
@zhena gogolia:
FTFNYT says the Soviets said in 1988 that the total was 13,310 dead, 35,478 wounded.
Ukraine has been a colossal disaster for VVP’s military (and for the good people of Ukraine).
Cheers,
Scott.
Anoniminous
Ukrainian Anti-Drone Weapon System
That’s some Old School stuff but they’re working. Germans found light ack-ack was extremely effective against ground targets: personnel as well as unarmored and lightly armored vehicles.
Roberto el oso
@CaseyL: The Wagner Group’s presence in parts of Africa over the last decade or so has not been a benevolent one. It’s possible that they (Wagner) have been able to hide the connection directly to Russia as a state actor, and so they are regarded by the native population as just another bunch of white mercenaries, no different from the American, British, South African types they’ve seen for a long time.
Uncle Cosmo
Slightly o/t if not OBE:
At #6 in last night’s Adam thread (“War for Ukraine Day 401: The Bucha Summit”) I posted a longish rumination holding the possible outcomes of the war up against the ending and aftermath of the Great War. A number of yinz commented on that, and I promised to engage with you about it.
That reply post came a lot later than I intended, due to Net access problems – but it is now in last night’s thread at #29. (I hope this makes it into the current thread – Baltimore is in the midst of some high and wild winds, and I have lost power briefly over a half-dozen times in the last two hours.)
In any event, thanks again to all who responded to my original post – please check out my response post from last night – and I’ll try to engage with anyone else who cares to read and respond to it tonight – electricity & connectivity permitting.
Ixnay
@Gin & Tonic: Thank you. Great explainer. Autocephalous has a clear meaning, but my bad brains want to see it as hydrocephalus. Possibly a new cult?
smith
@Another Scott: And those ~13,000 deaths were spread out over about 10 years. It was a slow drip, drip, drip that eventually eroded the USSR. What’s happening in Ukraine, probably more than 10 times as many losses in a little over a year, is by comparison a deluge of Biblical proportions.
Adam L Silverman
@Princess: They know their audience because they’ve patiently seeded the information space over an extended period of time, beginning in the Soviet Union, to shape their audience into being receptive to their messaging.
JAFD
@Gin & Tonic: There’s the Ukrainian Catholic Church of St. Nicholas, at 24th and Girard in Philadelphia (about 5 blocks N of the Museum of Art).
I lived across the street from it, for a couple of years, a few decades ago, and if I’d been more curious back then, I could tell you more about it …
Adam L Silverman
@Roberto el oso: Wagner’s activities in Africa, outside of Libya, have been conducted under the auspices of several of Prigozhin’s subsidiary companies within his Concord corporation. Specifically, Meroe Gold, M-Invest, and M-Finance. The Wagner component are the corporate security portions of these subsidiaries. It was only the past six months or so since Prigozhin formally stated there is, indeed, a Wagner PMC and that he owns it that the cover was removed from his mercenaries in Africa.
Adam L Silverman
@zhena gogolia: @Another Scott: @smith: The difference is that it is not clear how many Russians actually know the butcher’s bill. The news is tightly controlled, the process of returning the remains of KIAs is opaque within Russia. The majority of KIAs and wounded in action come from the ethnic minority areas of Russia well away from the major ethnically Russian urban areas. In order for this to have an effect Russians actually have to know the actual numbers. Or a close approximation. It is not at all clear that many do.
Gin & Tonic
@Roberto el oso: My son was at a program at MGIMO (their top international-relations school) in 2018. There was even at that time a great deal their grad students didn’t know.
Chetan Murthy
@Roberto el oso: I don’t mean this in any way except as a somewhat depressed jape: “The Internet/social media? So instead of the govt keeping them in the dark, they can do it to themselves ?”
Sigh. Again, I mean this only as a jape: we’re living thru the results of technology running way past our ability to adapt to it.
Andrya
@Ixnay: Forgive me for a bit OT, but historical linguistics fascinates me. Autocephalos comes from Greek αὐτοκέφαλος (autoképhalos) with auto = self and kephalos = head. An ancient word that starts with “k” in Greek usually starts with “h” in the Germanic languages, so English “head” is actually related to “kephalos”. The “k” becomes a soft “c” or “s” in the Slavic languages. It means, “self headed, independent”.
G&T, thanks for the very clear and fascinating explanation. And, of course, thanks to Adam, as always.
NutmegAgain
@smith: As I understand it, the majority (by far) of Russian soldiers in the present Ukraine invasion come from areas & ethnicities that are very much Not-Moscow, and Not-Petersburg. How much that was true of the Soviet military in their Afghan war, I do not know. If more sons of Moscow etc were killed and wounded back then, it would help account for the reaction of people
eta … all that I’ve said was deftly summarized by Adam a few comments above!
Bill Arnold
@Uncle Cosmo:
Read that thread (back and forth) with interest last night. You’re literate in the area, so mainly dove into references/vocabulary. Thanks for the pointer to https://history.state.gov/milestones .
Jager
@Gin & Tonic: Thank you…
Hangö Kex
@Roberto el oso:
The comparison to Stalin’s 1936 Constitution seems apt: finest principles to abide by if only they did or if there was any intent to in the first place.
dr. luba
@Andrya: Not in this case. Autocephalus in Ukrainian is avtokefal’na (автокефальна).
Іn English the K does become an S sound.
dr. luba
@Gin & Tonic: A bit of an addendum to all that–the Ukrainian (Kyivan) orthodox church was dissolved/suppressed by russia quite a long time back, and the Metropolitanate moved from Kyiv to Moscow. It is only since the WWI era that it was reborn, as a non-canonical church. The Tomos fixed that.
Churches in orthodoxy are generally national–most orthodox nations have their own national churches. Ukraine was an exception, because russia suppressed/stole their church. It was just another aspect of russia’s long-running ethnocide of Ukraine.
Carlo Graziani
@Chetan Murthy: Agree that this is not propaganda. My guess is that this is Russia’s response to the US National Security Strategy document released a couple of months ago. It plays as propaganda because the Russians appear to have no idea of how to construct a professional security strategy guidance document. Or, more likely, they have such a strategy guidance, but it is highly secret, and cannot be made public in the way that such documents are in the US, lest it provoke a scandal for its naked brutality. So a “response” can only be to produce a public statement in the mode of an empty, muddled, pseudo-historical amateur-philosophical tract worthy of Ted Kaszinski. It tells us how they understand themselves, but conceals or elides how they act in the world to further their goals.
Lyrebird
@dr. luba: Did you play the Tochka-U video? May I ask if the soldiers are speaking Ukrainian? I get the “That was GOOD!” part clearly.
No worries if you don’t have time or don’t need to watch another video of stuff blowing up. I really appreciate learning from your and @Gin & Tonic: ‘s culture backgrounders. Plus others of course – quite a few impressively informed folks come here to Adam’s updates!
Of course I also hope they stop beeing needed asap.
Carlo Graziani
@Gin & Tonic: @dr. luba: Joining the consensus, thanks for the background briefing.
If there are cultural/linguistic ramifications to this narrative that help better understand political differences between Eastern and Western Ukraine, I’d enjoy reading about those as well.
Andrya
@dr. luba: Thanks! That makes total sense, as the sound shift (k-> h in English, k-> s in Slavic) only applies to ancient, basic words, not to words more recently borrowed from other languages (as autocephalous certainly was. An example where it does work is Greek kardia = English heart = Ukrainian серце (sertse). The ancient (pagan) Proto-Indo-Europeans, riding their horses on the fields of Ukraine c. 5000 BCE, certainly did not talk about churches being autocephalous.
I apologize, I should have been more clear.
Gin & Tonic
@dr. luba: Thanks.
LiminalOwl
@Gin & Tonic:Thank you.
FWIW (and you probably know this already), many “Traditionalist” Roman Catholics joined the Eastern Rite churches in the ‘80s and ‘90s. The ostensible reason was the use of the Byzantine liturgy in preference to the post-Vatican 2 Novus Ordo. I haven’t had contact with any of them since maybe 1999, and before then I don’t remember any explicit support of fascism, though definitely culture-war talk. Can anyone tell me about the direction of influence? That is, did the support for fascism precede or follow the putatively theological turn towards the East?
(Probably awkward wording, I’m sorry. And maybe too narrow an issue to be of general interest. )
Hangö Kex
Finland’s NATO bid is inching trough the final formalities: the final hurdle seems to be the Turks and Hungarians delivering their ratification documents to the US State Department in Washington, DC. (https://yle.fi/a/74-20025375 ; in case the cookie gauntlet is presented in Finnish choose “Vain välttämättömät” to pass with minimal concessions or use the menu with the small globe symbol at the top of the dialog to change to English)
Andrya
@dr. luba: and also G&T: if you are inclined to indulge me, could you explain how that concept (Orthodoxy = national churches) applies in the US? My impression has been that there are two American Orthodox churches derived from Russian Orthodoxy (ROCOR, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and OCA, the Orthodox Church in America). It is also my impression that ROCOR is in Patriarch Kirill’s pocket and OCA is not.
It’s also my impression that American Greek Orthodox stand apart from Russian Orthodoxy- but since Ieronymous, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, denounced the invasion, I expect that American Greek Orthodox are sympathetic to Ukraine.
Additional detail/correction would be appreciated!
Andrya
OK, now I am going to be totally evil. Jackals deserve to know about Patriarch Kirill, the $39,000 watch, and the unsuccessful photoshop coverup. Unfortunately, I can’t post pictures, but here’s a link with the pictures.
In 2009 Patriarch Kirill was photographed in a meeting with the russian justice minister, wearing a $39,000 watch, and sitting at a highly polished table. (Some reports said a $30,000 watch, but that’s not important.) The photo was posted on the Moscow Patriarch’s website, and attracted a lot of criticism. (As in “what would Jesus think about displaying that much wasteful wealth in a country, and a world, with poverty?”) The Moscow Patriarch organization pulled the photo, photoshopped it to remove the watch, and reposted it. However, they FORGOT TO REMOVE THE REFLECTION OF THE WATCH IN THE HIGHLY POLISHED TABLE! Check out the photos at my link above.
By the way, the only legitimate reason for a Christian bishop to meet with the russian justice minister is to protest. Somehow I doubt that was what Kirill was doing.
Roberto el oso
@Adam L Silverman: thanks so much for the clarification on Wagner in Africa!
Roberto el oso
@Chetan Murthy: understood and, sadly, agreed with …
Chetan Murthy
@Andrya: IIRC, Kirill was outed as an ex-KGB agent. Which figures, given Putin’s druthers.
Roberto el oso
@Andrya: the watch reflection is reminiscent of sloppy post-purge photos in which there’d be a crowd of Bolsheviks and as they got purged they’d be chopped from the photo but often incompletely so there’d be an extra shoe still showing, or, in one that I still remember, a disembodied hand holding a cigarette …
NotoriousJRT
@Frankensteinbeck: That was my reaction, as well. I felt nauseated by the odor of BS and gave it up (but nit soon enough).
ColoradoGuy
Dipped into a few random paragraphs here and there. Very reminiscent of miles and miles of tendentious Marxist-Leninist bilge back in the Bad Old Days. Deliberately written to be unreadable, as far as I can tell, and all of it self-justifying.
Exactly what George Orwell was writing about, since he had seen Soviet Marxist-Leninism at close range. Also a strong aroma of Ayn Rand and Scientology at their worst.
Uncle Cosmo
@JAFD: There’s St Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church on Eastern Ave. in Baltimore, Gorgeous at the edge of Patterson Park among the rowhouses of the Highlandtown neighborhood. And solidly sky-blue-&-sunflower gold:
Uncle Cosmo
@Gin & Tonic: Adding my disembodied voice to the chorus of praise for your succinct and informative post. Дякую. The opportunity to learn something worthwhile about something I knew nothing about from someone who knows it well is a major reason I read this blog reli…um, agnostically. :^D
Geminid
Do I hear thunder?
A BBC Ukraine report (reprinted in Yahoo News yesterday said that the Russian MoD claims it shot down a Ukrainian Hrim-2 missile recently. When questioned about this, security official senior Ukrainian official Oleksy Danilov coyly responded:
Development of the Hrim-2 began in 2005, was halted by President Yanukovic in 2013, resumed in 2016 and frozen again in 2018 for lack of funding after one successful test launch. Last year the Ukrainian government announced the program has resumed. Reports about the program were that the Pivden company developing the rocket has a large Cold War era underground factory.
With a 500kg warhead and a range up to 500 kilometers, this missile seems to be regarded by Russia as a threat. The BBC article said that last September, an engineer named Rezeda Pervova was detained by Ukraine and charged with spying for Russia. Apparently her target was the Pivden factory in Dnipro. Then on September 30, the Russian MoD announced they had bombed “Pivdennish” facilities in Dnipro involved in the Hrim-2 program.
zhena gogolia
@Adam L Silverman: No zinky, I guess.
LiminalOwl
@Andrya: At the time when I had Orthodox friends, the Russian churches in the USA were ROCOR and the Moscow Patriarchate, with the former group being Tsarists who regarded the latter as agents of the Soviet Union and probably KGB.
The OCA was an attempt at pan-Orthodox union, but I was told it was dominated by the Greek Orthodox. (And specifically by New Calendar Greek Orthodox, whom the many many Old Calendar Greek splinter groups said were all heretics.)
To the best of my knowledge, the way the national churches work(ed) in the US was, except in the OCA, to give lip service to unity with the other churches while remaining largely within their own (by birth or conversion) group. At least for the Russians and Greeks, who seemed to be in continual rivalry for preëminence. I had little to no contact with the smaller churches so don’t know about them.
Ixnay
@Andrya: Thank you. Apologies unnecessary, Ixnays are a household with an OED. Etymology and word histories always welcome.
Andrya
@LiminalOwl: Thanks! As for the smaller groups, I find it hard to believe that the Syrian Orthodox would have any sympathy for the Moscow Patriarchate.
Bill Arnold
Without comment, other than that Russians are/will be displaying significant agitation about this. Alleged method: miniature statue bomb (Trojan statue!), gifted to him.
Bomb kills Russian war blogger in St Petersburg cafe (Mark Trevelyan and Felix Light, April 2, 2023)
mr perfect
@Bill Arnold: Something smells funny about this assassination. Why would Ukraine spend the resources and manpower to go after what were essentially propagandists in Tatarsky/Fomin and Dugina? They aren’t essential to the Russian war machine attacking Ukraine, there are far more inviting military targets for Ukraine to attack inside Russia. As well, which country do we know purposely attacks and arrests journalists, which is a term loosely used for both Tatarsky and Dugina?