(Image by NEIVANMADE)
A quick housekeeping note in regard to a point of contention from my earlier post: To clarify, the simple child, as I explained in describing its role in the ritual, is actually a complement. In the recounting of the four sons it is the simple child – the one that knows they need to learn – that begins the actual process of learning, of becoming enlightened on the topic. The wise son (thinks he) already has all the answers and therefore needs to learn nothing. The wicked son is contrary for the sake of contrarianism. The son who is to young to even formulate a question is just that. It is the simple son – the one that knows that he does not know and needs to learn – that allows for the tale of the Exodus and the Passover to properly be recounted and for its true meaning to be learned.
President Zelenskyy made to addresses today. The first was to the implementation of the peace process forum in Malta. The video isbelow, English transcript after the jump. This is a bit different, President Zelenskyy is speaking in English with Ukrainian subtitles.
Our joint efforts are laying a new global tradition of unity helping us learn how to end all wars – the speech of the President of Ukraine at the third meeting of advisors on the implementation of the Peace Formula in Malta
28 October 2023 – 18:26
Dear ladies and gentlemen!
Dear co-authors and co-workers of peace!
All nations on earth have gone through war. Men and women who returned from battles and did not forget what they had gone-through until their last breath… Children who were maimed by war… Families who were left with only pain and ashes and gravestones instead of their loved-ones.
There is no place in the world that has not seen the human blood shed in battles.
It is said in different languages that the history of mankind is the history of wars. But I want us all to be able to say one day that from now on, the history of people is a history of peace only. We see this aspiration in many sacred books. And most hearts respond to this. We see this aspiration stipulated in the international law and in the UN Charter. But does the UN Charter work?
Here in Ukraine, and in the Middle East, and in African countries, the answer to this question is the cries of mothers burying their sons and daughters killed in wars, and the despair of children orphaned by wars…
We can and must give a different answer. The world has seen too much blood.
Last year, I proposed a Peace Formula. 10 points that cover all aspects of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and are based on the principles of the UN Charter and the UN General Assembly resolutions approved by the world. Over the year, our Peace Formula has gradually become global – because all of you have supported it or at least shown an active interest in working on it. This Formula has truly become a common one.
What are the main things the Peace Formula can do? Very important things.
First, the Peace Formula ensures the full force of the UN Charter to stop the aggression against our country and eliminate all its consequences, and thus can later become a model when the full power of international law can prevent other aggressions. Secondly, the Peace Formula enables each country to become a leader in its part and of its kind to restore peace and play an independent role in making peace.
And the third, our joint efforts are laying the foundation for a new global tradition of unity – when helping one country end a war, it helps us learn how to end all wars.
There are no two wars alike, but the Peace Formula can and should be universal. The plan for its implementation needs to be joint – to reflect not a particular national position, but the position of people, of all mankind. We shall prepare a joint action plan and then submit it to the Global Peace Summit – at the level of leaders – to approve and implement it for the sake of peace, for the sake of the protection of every nation from wars. And let this result be our common legacy for humanity!
And I am grateful to every nation and international organization represented here in Malta. In total, almost 70 global actors have already joined the Peace Formula process. I thank everyone!
I am grateful to Malta, to the Government of Malta and every Maltese for hosting this Summit. I am grateful to Denmark for the first meeting in this format – in Copenhagen. I am grateful to Saudi Arabia and Jeddah for developing this format. I am grateful to all the leaders who addressed the participants of the meeting, either personally or by sending messages… Mr. President Niinistö of Finland, Mr. President Ramaphosa of South Africa, Mr. Prime Minister Kishida of Japan, Mr. Prime Minister Denkov of Bulgaria, Cardinal Parolin of the Vatican and Grands Chancellor Montecupo.
I would like to specifically mention the international institutions that supported the Peace Formula – the UN, the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament, which, by the way, is headed by a Maltese woman, Roberta Metsola, a defender of international law and a brave person, who was among the first to visit Ukraine after the start of full-scale aggression and has consistently helped to defend lives. Thank you all who works for peace!
I wish you a fruitful summit!
Слава Україні!
And here is his daily address. Video below, followed by the English transcript.
Our Peace Formula gradually, step by step, is becoming global – address by the President of Ukraine
28 October 2023 – 20:31
I wish you all good health, dear Ukrainians!
Today is the first day of the summit in Malta – a meeting of advisors and diplomatic representatives regarding our Peace Formula, which gradually, step by step, is becoming global.
Sixty six countries are represented at the summit, and it is a good result. All continents are represented. Many countries, different political traditions. I thank all the leaders and countries that have already supported our common vision for peace. And there is potential to expand the representation of states. The points of our Formula are created in such a way that everyone in the world who truly values international law can express themselves and their values and support global efforts against aggression.
Right now at the Malta summit, work is underway on five of the ten points of the Formula. These are “Radiation and nuclear safety,” “Food security,” “Energy security,” “Release of all prisoners and deported persons,” and “Restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the world order.” For each point of the Formula, groups of states, focusing on implementation, have been created. The work on the Formula is led by Andriy Yermak, with teams from the Office of the President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, government officials, and representatives of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. I am grateful to everyone who adds such diplomatic strength to Ukraine.
Last year, when I first introduced the Formula, the world was still discussing various visions and fairly different approaches to restoring our state border and achieving a fair peace. The global majority is gradually uniting around a common and fair vision reflected in the Peace Formula. Unity of the world is what is truly needed for aggressors to be defeated.
And it is very symbolic that such a strong display of international unity we have today, on October 28, the day when in Ukraine we commemorate the Second World War and the anniversary of the expulsion of the Nazis from our territory. Back then, the Ukrainian people, along with many nations, fought to defeat evil. Unity gave the peoples the necessary strength. Not only to defeat Nazism and punish the Nazis for their crimes against humanity – for the Holocaust, for the destruction of nations, but also to establish an architecture of security and peace that would protect against a new global war. We can see now that the architecture created then did not work. But unity will certainly work effectively. The unity of all who help Ukraine defeat ruscism. And we will defeat it. For sure. And the unity of everyone in the world who works together with us, together with all our partners, to restore the strength of international law and the real weight of the principles and norms of the UN Charter.
The world is not a place for aggression. Humanity will come to this understanding. This is the only way to protect life.
And one more thing.
Today, I want to particularly commend the Ukrainian border guards. There will come a time – we are doing everything to bring it closer – when the Ukrainian border guards will work peacefully on all sections of our sovereign state border. Right now, many of them, along with all the defense and security forces, are fighting on the front lines to bring the time of peace closer for Ukraine. I thank the entire personnel of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. And special gratitude from us deserve… The warriors of the Kramatorsk Border Guard Unit, especially Senior Sergeant Roman Malysh and Major Vadym Kostenko. They are fighting near Bahmut. Thank you for your strength!
Also in Donetsk region, soldiers from the Kharkiv Border Guard Unit are performing their tasks – Senior Soldier Oleksandr Kovalenko and Senior Lieutenant Serhiy Sydorsky. Thank you, warriors!
The Lyman direction, the Mohyliv-Podilsky Border Guard Unit, Senior Sergeant Oleksandr Leus. Thank you for your courage!
Kupiansk direction, the ‘Steel Border’ brigade – Sergeants Anatoliy Pavlovsky, Valeriy Pokrytiuk, Mykola Bilyk, and Senior Sergeant Maksym Bazarov. Thank you, warriors, for destroying Russian equipment and artillery!
Glory to all who fight and work for our state and the liberation of all of Ukraine from the occupiers! Thank you to everyone around the world who is helping!
Glory to Ukraine!
Avdiivka:
Just a quick note here, there’s a lot more imagery coming out of Avdiivka. A good chunk of it is somewhere between grim to exceedingly disturbing. I’m being selective about not posting those images or videos.
Avdiivka.
The hellscape of Russian liberation. pic.twitter.com/lyFL7omzL1— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) October 28, 2023
Avdiivka.. 😞 pic.twitter.com/3kn7onTvjn
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) October 28, 2023
Avdiivka killing fields..
"The Russian losses in the Avdiivka area are about 4 thousand in personnel," Minister of Defense Umerov said during a telephone conversation with US secretary of defense Lloyd Austin. pic.twitter.com/Nd8v4X9rMO
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) October 28, 2023
“These are the traps the occupiers set at night on the positions of the border guards near Avdiivka. The fragmentation mine was detected and neutralized in time.” pic.twitter.com/oot5YFCEwd
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) October 28, 2023
This Russian advance west of Krasnohorivka and near Avdiivka tried to breach Ukrainian lines, but when Ukrainian artillery opened fire, chaos erupted and the crews and infantry abandoned their vehicles in droves. In the open entire Russian platoons got hit. At least two BTR got… pic.twitter.com/ct7jmbof0H
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) October 28, 2023
AVDIIVKA AXIS /2030 UTC 28 OCT/ Despite heavy and increasing losses, RU renewed unsuccessful attacks in the vicinities of Keramik, Avdiivka, Stepove, Tonenke, & Opytne.
UKR forces broke up more than ten attacks in the Avdiivka area of operations, inflicting losses of at… pic.twitter.com/EJMzSfU0od— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) October 28, 2023
AVDIIVKA AXIS /2030 UTC 28 OCT/ Despite heavy and increasing losses, RU renewed unsuccessful attacks in the vicinities of Keramik, Avdiivka, Stepove, Tonenke, & Opytne.
UKR forces broke up more than ten attacks in the Avdiivka area of operations, inflicting losses of at least 9 main battle tanks, 8 Infantry fighting vehicles, 6 artillery systems and 400 Russian troops killed in action.
Michael Clarke of the Royal United Services Institute has a column on what he thinks will be Russia’s winter offensive at The Sunday Times:
It has been a good three weeks for President Putin in Ukraine. A lot has been happening on the ground while the eyes of the world have been directed elsewhere. These are tough weeks for Kyiv. They are, as Macer Gifford, one ex-British soldier fighting for Ukraine, put it on social media on Friday, “dark and difficult times”.
In response to Kyiv’s summer offensive, Putin ordered Russian forces more than a month ago to launch local counterattacks at multiple points along the 1,000km front. The Kremlin hoped to wrest back the initiative before winter sets in.
With American weapons and western attention suddenly swinging towards the Middle East, Russia has poured more men and equipment into some ferocious assaults in northeast Donbas, towards Kupiansk; in southeast Donbas, at Avdiivka; and in Zaporizhzhia, north of Tokmak, to halt Ukrainian progress southwards.
What’s more, last week Moscow seemed to be digging into the stockpile of missiles it has been conserving. It looks as if Russia’s winter air offensive is under way, targeting civilian infrastructure for the second year running.
The new Bakhmut
Russia’s renewed attack at Avdiivka, which began on the weekend of October 7, is particularly significant. The Russians have diverted scarce resources to try, yet again, to surround the city, bringing in about six brigades and a great deal of air power and artillery from other units, bombarding the two Ukrainian brigades holding the city. So far, Ukrainian forces have defended the town fiercely and the Russians have not completed an encirclement — though they will keep trying.
Avdiivka is becoming another Bakhmut. Except that Bakhmut had no real strategic importance. It was a symbol the Wagner mercenaries wanted to create for themselves. But Avdiivka does have genuine strategic value: it is on a key route into the city of Donetsk, as close to the airport as it is to the northern suburbs of the city.
The road system makes Avdiivka the gateway to southern Donbas. The Ukrainians have held it against Russian pressure since last year. It is Kyiv’s route to victory in that sector. If they lose Avdiivka now, they will be locked out of the south, and most of what they have achieved in the Donbas further north will count for little. Ukraine’s 1st Tank Brigade has been brought in to defend Avdiivka, while parts of the hard-fighting 47th Mechanised Brigade have been pulled out of the main southerly thrust from Zaporizhzhia and sent east to help defend the city. Fierce battles have been going on for control of the coke and chemicals plant on Avdiivka’s northern flank and the sand quarry at the village of Opytne on the southern flank. These two miserable industrial sites really matter.
Risk of stalemate
No wonder Kyiv appears to be deeply worried. According to rumours among security sources in Ukraine, the military commander Valery Zaluzhny argues that the Ukrainian offensive is almost over, that they must hold what they have got and prepare for operations next year. But President Zelensky does not agree, or will not admit it, because of the perception in the West that his war for Ukraine’s survival seems to have reached a stalemate. He knows that western patience is limited for his maximalist demands that Ukraine must recover all territory invaded by Russia since 2014, and Kyiv is deeply frustrated not to show more progress in its much-vaunted summer offensive. Kyiv well understands the political impact in the West of any appearance of stalemate. In truth, the events of the summer are both better and worse than that, but Ukrainian leaders are far from certain that western politicians or their public will grasp that.
Ukraine’s situation is better than stalemate because they are inflicting heavy losses on Russian forces in their recent attacks. In ten days from October 10, Russia’s visually verified vehicle losses in Avdiivka were 109 — comprising tanks, fighting vehicles and support units, more than a full brigade’s worth. In the past week its losses have not diminished, and Russian personnel losses are running at several hundred a day. The Russians are still operating human-wave attacks with their convicts or inexperienced troops.
Ukraine is also inflicting heavy losses south of Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Ukraine has been trying to break through to Tokmak and open the route to the coast, splitting Russian forces in two. That now looks unlikely, but the Russians have used up their reserves in holding on north of Tokmak. They are certainly stretched and Kyiv may still be hoping that Russian defences will prove brittle in the rear areas if only they can break through more of the forward defence lines. Ukraine has also been very successful in degrading Russian forces in the rear areas with its western-supplied “deep-strike” precision missiles and artillery. They have created conditions that will make it difficult for Russian forces to settle safely into winter quarters.
War of attrition: the toughest test
That also makes the current situation worse than a stalemate for the Ukrainians: this is now a war of attrition, of the sort western powers have not seen since the world wars of the last century. Wars of attrition are ultimately won by the side that can best gear up its industries and apply its productive capacity directly to the battlefield — from high-tech cyber systems down to bullets, boots and “meals ready to eat”.
The Russians can — eventually — do this for themselves. The Ukrainians can do some of this for themselves and are gearing up for a high-production arms industry in the future. But they can only match Russia in any real war of attrition with western support, particularly next year when Russia will be heavily dependent on what it can squeeze from North Korea, Iran and China.
Western leaders naturally recoil from the idea that the struggle between crude Russian imperialism and liberal democracy can be won only in an attritional way. They want to see Ukrainian forces achieve the sort of battlefield victories western forces enjoyed at times over the past 70 years, such as in the Falklands or the first Gulf War in 1991. But this summer indicates that it is unlikely to go that way. Kyiv is fearful that what happens at a coke and chemical plant or a sand quarry near Avdiivka may convince western observers, when they glance back from the Middle East, that an attritional war has begun. They fear that the West’s nerve will fail and 2024 will become Ukraine’s toughest test yet.
There is more at the link!
Kyiv:
Kyiv tonight and a full moon. pic.twitter.com/Yv517G9rQt
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) October 28, 2023
Kharkiv:
When they talk about resilience, it's this. Valeriy Onul lost a leg near Kherson, and Andriy Ilkiv stepped on a mine in Dementiivka. They didn’t hesitate to return to service in National Police. With prosthetic limbs and unwavering determination, they're back in the field in… pic.twitter.com/bVCQdIXK9T
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) October 28, 2023
When they talk about resilience, it’s this. Valeriy Onul lost a leg near Kherson, and Andriy Ilkiv stepped on a mine in Dementiivka. They didn’t hesitate to return to service in National Police. With prosthetic limbs and unwavering determination, they’re back in the field in Kharkiv.
📷 Ukrinform
Donetsk:
The work of the UAV strike unit “Rarog” of the 24th Brigade of Ukraine. Donetsk region. Video also shows another destroyed Russian T-90M.https://t.co/ltE5oaD54V pic.twitter.com/LXXbPoyTh5
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) October 28, 2023
Kursk Oblast, Russia:
Russia says a nuclear facility in Kursk was hit by a Ukrainian drone. There is said to be damage to the wall, the state news agency TASS writes.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said: "The Russian Federation calls on all governments to strongly condemn…
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) October 28, 2023
Russia says a nuclear facility in Kursk was hit by a Ukrainian drone. There is said to be damage to the wall, the state news agency TASS writes.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said: “The Russian Federation calls on all governments to strongly condemn Kyiv’s attack on the Kursk nuclear power plant.”
Voice of American News has the details:
Russia accused Ukraine of damaging a nuclear waste storage warehouse in a drone attack on the Kursk nuclear power plant and claimed its air defenses shot down eight Ukrainian drones.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that three explosive-laden drones targeted the power plant on Thursday night, striking its administration building and a facility storing nuclear waste. The press service for the Kursk nuclear power plant confirmed the strike Friday, but told journalists there was no significant damage or casualties and that operations were continuing as normal.
For you fans of Russian military equipment going kaboom, we’ve got several options this evening for your viewing pleasure:
The russian army continues to suffer heavy losses in both equipment and manpower.
The @ServiceSsu Alpha division has destroyed 19 tanks and almost 230 occupiers in a week.📹: @ServiceSsu pic.twitter.com/QVWhwXTLz2
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 28, 2023
-5 tanks and -4 IFVs: the result of effective collaboration of artillery firepower and drone reconnaissance.
📹: 79th Air Assault Brigade pic.twitter.com/oJFHCOsd6h
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 28, 2023
If you were wondering about the “OSINT” account that the Starlink Snowflake has been promoting, it turns out it is a Soldier from the state of Georgia who promotes Russian misinformation and agitprop.
. @sentdefender isn't about OSINT; it's about 🇷🇺 propaganda with a reach of millions.@molfar_agency found out that @sentdefender is a military personnel from the USA. Simon Anderson justifies Russians and posts fakes about 🇺🇦.
Proofs: https://t.co/UnjfpXg153 pic.twitter.com/D7dIbTJFlg
— Molfar (@molfar_agency) October 24, 2023
From Molfar:
OSINTdefender is a user of the social network X, which was previously known as Twitter. His posts often contain pro-Russian propaganda or blatant lies. Some of his publications have been a concern for many readers. For example, the story about Ukrainians being accused of a war crime for throwing a grenade at Russians or his praise of Russia’s power and its geopolitical influence,
Elon Musk endorsed this “analyst”. In social network X, misinformation spreads like wildfire. The fact that Musk supports such propagandist accounts is particularly alarming. Analysts at the “Molfar” agency decided to investigate OSINTdefender’s activities. They uncovered his intriguing details, including his name, workplace, and interests. We’ll delve deeper into this shortly.
The account we’ll discuss in this article hints at its intent right in its name, claiming to be an analytical expert specializing in open-source intelligence. Currently, it boasts over 800k followers on Twitter, with its posts reaching millions and garnering thousands of likes. Such platforms often earn users’ trust by presenting themselves as independent analytical sources, unveiling “hidden” truths.
OSINTdefender received an endorsement from Elon Musk. Yet, the content and activity of this account raise eyebrows. Predominantly, its posts support Russia while criticizing Ukraine. The immense influence and trust placed in OSINT practitioners might be exploited in this case.
Simon Anderson owns the “OSINTdefender” account, which he registered in December 2021. On Discord, the administrator of the OSINTdefender server goes by the name Leanandice.
Simon Anderson was born on October 19, 1999. As per his LinkedIn profile, he resided in Georgia, USA, until May 2022. However, according to True People Search, only one Simon Anderson in that state was born in November. In 2015, he worked as a cafe manager in Fayetteville, Georgia. It seems that from 2016 to 2019, he underwent training to become a military officer. In 2019, he joined the US Army, where he served as a radio frequency technician. Still, curiously, his profile mentions the US Air Force, also based in Fayetteville. His LinkedIn indicates that he started studying at Georgia Military College in 2020. In May 2020, he began identifying as an advanced electronics and computer sciences specialist with the US Naval Forces stationed in Great Lakes, Illinois.
There is much, much more at the link including a full breakdown and analysis of what he posts.
Jade McGlynn, PhD has an interesting piece at The Moscow Times on the purposes of Russian propaganda in occupied Ukraine.
Rather than a doubling down on propaganda narratives that hadn’t worked to date, this shift was an admission of defeat. The Kremlin understood that after 2014, it could not simultaneously produce effective propaganda for both Russians and Ukrainians in the occupied regions. So, it decided to create a new two-tier propaganda system.
The first tier, aimed at Russian audiences, comprises statements from collaborator officials, the output of newly established regional outlets of Russian federal media, and official collaborator Telegram channels. They produce narratives similar to those inside Russia itself: that Russia is fighting a special military operation against Western-backed Nazis to liberate Russian speakers from genocide and defend itself from Western attack. In so doing, it has made life better and will inevitably win.
As this narrative is primarily aimed at Russians and their proxies, the tendency to ignore residents’ continued daily experience of war makes sense. It is better not to remind Russians that it used to be Ukraine. It is far better to ignore the war entirely, as they don’t like hearing about it. Explaining that Russia is defending itself makes it easier to mobilize people for what they think is a defensive war.
Propaganda narratives are about creating a reality, or story, out of selectively picked facts in a way that avoids dissonance with what is actually happening. Clearly, these narratives are hard for Ukrainians living in occupied regions to believe. But they can still work for Russians watching at home.
The second tier, comprises newspapers, television and Telegram channels specially created for regions under occupation since 2014. The Russian occupation authorities introduced a free satellite package, “Russian World,” that is sometimes directly imposed on residents by installation brigades overseen by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. As Ukrainian satellite terminals were dismantled by official edict, some families chose to install the Russian package so their children could watch television.
“Russian World” provides access to 20 Russian channels and to 10 local channels across the regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Donetsk, and Crimea. These channels are mostly unavailable outside the occupied territories, with the package encrypted so that others in Russia, Ukraine, or abroad cannot find out what they are telling viewers.
While the main topics of the regional channels and the federal Russian television channels are broadly similar, to minimize dissonance, the framing differs. If federally available coverage proclaims Russia’s greatness, the local channels instead seek to demoralize and disorient residents by focusing on Russia’s invincibility and the impossibility of a Ukrainian victory.
The local channel Tavriya, which serves occupied Kherson region, focuses on the theme that Ukraine has become totally unliveable and faces a hopeless future. A recent segment in September 2023 asserted that Ukraine was almost entirely depopulated as everyone had fled from persecution from the Nazi authorities and/or saw no point in defending the country. Silently, a question is posed to viewers: why side with a country that nobody else is defending?
The local channels also feature the destruction of the war, though it is always inflicted by Ukraine, for no reason beyond “insane Kyiv Nazis” seeking to hunt and harm ordinary civilians. The fantastic claims of Ukrainian cruelty use fear to coerce residents into associating with the occupiers. For example, Russia has forcibly issued Russian passports to Ukrainian citizens, even threatening to remove children, access to food provisions, and healthcare for those who refuse to accept one. Now, propagandists tell the occupied territories that Kyiv will treat anyone who took a passport as a collaborator and punish them. On unofficial pro-Moscow Telegram channels, this narrative is bolstered by the argument that Ukraine has betrayed its people in the occupied territories by leaving them to the Russians. Kyiv did not come back for them, and now everything will be just as Russia planned.
If you believe that your country betrayed you, it becomes much easier to justify betraying your country. Especially if you are starting to think that it is pointless to wait for a liberation that will never come. And even if the Ukrainian army does come back, they may see you as a collaborator because you took a Russian passport. Why not just make life for yourself and your family by integrating into the new Russian order? What other options are there?
For those mentally strong enough to live through the traumas of war and occupation and still resist the power of the arguments above, the Russians have other methods besides propaganda. The occupying forces do not try to hide their brutal torture chambers, kidnappings of Ukrainian children, and summary executions from their new constituents. Everybody knows the cost of resistance. The television channels’ intense focus on the exposure and punishment of “Ukrainian terrorists” (who are in fact anti-Russian partisans, including children) means nobody is likely to forget it.
The difference between general Russian propaganda and its localized counterparts in the occupied regions was initially a story of failure: A failure to understand Ukrainians, a failure to sell them the Russian story. But by recognizing that failure, Russian narratives have become more effective. Residents are left with two options. They can deny reality and become the audience of Moscow’s fiction. Or they can accept the reality of living under occupation and act out this fiction for everyone else.
More at the link!
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
Good night 🌙😘 pic.twitter.com/9dyzLLhcT4
— Patron (@PatronDsns) October 28, 2023
This new video at Patron’s official TikTok explains why he’s so tired:
@patron__dsns 🤪
Open thread!
War for Ukraine Day 612: A Brief Saturday Night UpdatePost + Comments (24)