I am confident Ukraine will definitely win; be confident in yourselves – address by the President of Ukraine

2 November 2023 – 20:39

I wish you good health, dear Ukrainians!

A brief report for this day.

First – a video conference. The military, intelligence, our security forces, government officials. Special attention, of course, to the front. And a report on the work of our maritime export corridor – I am grateful to all who are fighting and working to ensure Ukraine’s access to the global market. The results are good. Russia is gradually losing control of the Black Sea and retreating to the eastern part of the waters… We will reach them there as well.

Second – an extended meeting with our government officials. Regarding the steps Ukraine needs to take, both in the context of our transformation and in our work with partners. Specific reforms. In various areas. We are preparing bills and government decisions. Some of them will be adopted in the coming weeks.

Third – a conversation with President of the European Council Charles Michel. Our progress in moving towards the European Union. The decision we expect this year regarding the start of membership negotiations. This decision will be significant, a very symbolic step that reflects how much Ukraine has achieved. We also discussed the situation in the Middle East – the threat of escalation, a tragic scenario. It is important to protect as many lives as possible. I invited Charles, Mr. President, to visit Ukraine.

Fourth – I had a meeting with the Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, who visited Ukraine. The minister visited Kharkiv – and I am grateful for this, for the attention to one of our largest cities, which suffers from practically daily Russian terror. We discussed in detail the defense support that the Netherlands provides, and this is vital. Our agreements with Mark, Mr. Prime Minister Rutte, are being fully implemented. I am grateful to the entire political class of the Netherlands and the entire society for their belief in Ukraine, for their belief in our people.

Fifth – I am grateful to the United States for the new and very powerful sanctions decision. More than 220 Russian – and not only Russian – entities that work on aggression are now under U.S. sanctions. This is what is needed. Critical sectors of the aggressor’s economy. Sensitive schemes for terrorists. And every sanctions decision must work in full – so that there is no chance for Russia to circumvent the sanctions. The power of sanctions is the power of the world. We are constantly communicating with our partners for this purpose – a united world must only become stronger.

Two more things.

I had a very substantive meeting with government officials. Various directions of government work. We discussed the steps needed for the transformation of our state, our work with partners, with donors. About government decisions, the necessary bills, strengthening institutions. We set priorities and are preparing new steps – in the coming weeks, by the end of the year, and on an annual basis.

And what I do every day is a great honor for me. Our warriors. Our gratitude. Those who distinguished themselves on this day. The Vuhredar direction – our strong 72nd separate mechanized brigade. Thank you, guys! Maryinka – the paratroopers of the 79th brigade, well done! Avdiyivka direction – the 31st, 47th, 53rd, and 110th separate mechanized brigades. I thank every soldier!

And Kupiansk direction – the 14th and 32nd separate mechanized brigades, the 57th separate motorized infantry brigade – I’m proud of you, guys! And I have confidence in you – just like on February 24th. I am confident that Ukraine will definitely win. Be confident in yourselves.

I am proud of everyone who fights for Ukraine, who destroys occupiers, who restores our positions. Those who are in the trenches right now. Those who are at combat posts. Those who train our soldiers. Those who produce weapons, ammunition, and equipment for Ukraine. Those who teach our children. Those who treat and save after strikes. Those who provide a normal life in our cities. Those who give us light. Everyone who gives us confidence – our parents, our children… Those who love us. Those who pray for us, for victory. Those who help us from all corners of the world. Those who endured basements and occupation – and did not break. Everyone who does everything every day to liberate Ukraine and Ukrainians from Russian captivity.

I am proud of you, Ukrainian people! I am proud of you, Ukrainian soldier!

Glory to Ukraine!

President @ZelenskyyUa:
«It's important to never forget how many people – different people – put their efforts into protecting our state and Ukrainians, preserving Ukraine, the resilience of our state, our society, and each and every one of us.

Thank you to everyone who cares… pic.twitter.com/o4lkIPcPHi

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 2, 2023

President @ZelenskyyUa:
«It’s important to never forget how many people – different people – put their efforts into protecting our state and Ukrainians, preserving Ukraine, the resilience of our state, our society, and each and every one of us.

Thank you to everyone who cares about the interests of Ukraine and Ukrainians! »

Was pleased to welcome to Kyiv Kajsa Ollongren, @DefensieMin of the Netherlands.

Grateful to Ms Ollongren and her country for their leadership in the F16 Coalition, including their willingness to provide aircraft and pilot training.

Briefed my colleague on the priorities of the… pic.twitter.com/8oY40px1xh

— Rustem Umerov (@rustem_umerov) November 2, 2023

Was pleased to welcome to Kyiv Kajsa Ollongren, @DefensieMin of the Netherlands.

Grateful to Ms Ollongren and her country for their leadership in the F16 Coalition, including their willingness to provide aircraft and pilot training.

Briefed my colleague on the priorities of the ministry’s activity and the situation at the frontline.

F16: Next year in Ukraine.
We're getting ready.

📹: Haci Production pic.twitter.com/tzVXbiosDk

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 2, 2023

We are grateful to our German partners for another important military aid package, which includes:

◾️12 Armoured Personnel Carriers
◾️2 air surveillance radar TRML-4D
◾️7 reconnaissance drones Primoco ONE
◾️2 AMPS self-protection systems for helicopters
◾️5 unmanned surface…

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 2, 2023

We are grateful to our German partners for another important military aid package, which includes:

◾️12 Armoured Personnel Carriers
◾️2 air surveillance radar TRML-4D
◾️7 reconnaissance drones Primoco ONE
◾️2 AMPS self-protection systems for helicopters
◾️5 unmanned surface vessels
◾️10000 safety glasses
◾️32 SatCom terminals
◾️1 PCB printer
◾️4 truck tractor trains 8×8 HX81 and 4 semi-trailers*
◾️12 trucks MAN TGS
◾️30,000 winter clothing sets

🇺🇦🤝🇩🇪
#StandWithUkraine
@BMVg_Bundeswehr

Here are some excerpts from The Economist‘s interview with General Zaluzhnyi: (emphasis mine)

FIVE MONTHS into its counter-offensive, Ukraine has managed to advance by just 17 kilometres. Russia fought for ten months around Bakhmut in the east “to take a town six by six kilometres”. Sharing his first comprehensive assessment of the campaign with The Economist in an interview this week, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhny, says the battlefield reminds him of the great conflict of a century ago. “Just like in the first world war we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate,” he says. The general concludes that it would take a massive technological leap to break the deadlock. “There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough.”

The course of the counter-offensive has undermined Western hopes that Ukraine could use it to demonstrate that the war is unwinnable, forcing Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, to negotiate. It has also undercut General Zaluzhny’s assumption that he could stop Russia by bleeding its troops. “That was my mistake. Russia has lost at least 150,000 dead. In any other country such casualties would have stopped the war.” But not in Russia, where life is cheap and where Mr Putin’s reference points are the first and second world wars, in which Russia lost tens of millions.

An army of Ukraine’s standard ought to have been able to move at a speed of 30km a day as it breached Russian lines. “If you look at NATO’s text books and at the maths which we did, four months should have been enough time for us to have reached Crimea, to have fought in Crimea, to return from Crimea and to have gone back in and out again,” General Zaluzhny says sardonically. Instead he watched his troops get stuck in minefields on the approaches to Bakhmut in the east, his Western-supplied equipment getting pummelled by Russian artillery and drones. The same story unfolded on the offensive’s main thrust in the south, where inexperienced brigades immediately ran into trouble.

“First I thought there was something wrong with our commanders, so I changed some of them. Then I thought maybe our soldiers are not fit for purpose, so I moved soldiers in some brigades,” says General Zaluzhny. When those changes failed to make a difference, the general told his staff to dig out a book he once saw as a student. Its title was “Breaching Fortified Defence Lines”. It was published in 1941 by a Soviet major-general, P.S. Smirnov, who analysed the battles of the first world war. “And before I got even halfway through it, I realised that is exactly where we are because just like then, the level of our technological development today has put both us and our enemies in a stupor.”

General Zaluzhny describes a battlefield in which modern sensors can identify any concentration of forces, and modern precision weapons can destroy it. “The simple fact is that we see everything the enemy is doing and they see everything we are doing. In order for us to break this deadlock we need something new, like the gunpowder which the Chinese invented and which we are still using to kill each other,” he says.

This time, however, the decisive factor will be not a single new invention, but will come from combining all the technical solutions that already exist, he says. In a By Invitation article written for The Economist by General Zaluzhny, as well as in an essay shared with the newspaper, he urges innovation in drones, electronic warfare, anti-artillery capabilities and demining equipment, as well as in the use of robotics.

Western allies have been overly cautious in supplying Ukraine with their latest technology and more powerful weapons. Joe Biden, America’s president, set objectives at the start of Russia’s invasion: to ensure that Ukraine was not defeated and that America was not dragged into confrontation with Russia. This means that arms supplied by the West have been sufficient in sustaining Ukraine in the war, but not enough to allow it to win. General Zaluzhny is not complaining: “They are not obliged to give us anything, and we are grateful for what we have got, but I am simply stating the facts.”

Yet by holding back the supply of long-range missile systems and tanks, the West allowed Russia to regroup and build up its defences in the aftermath of a sudden breakthrough in Kharkiv region in the north and in Kherson in the south late in 2022. “These systems were most relevant to us last year, but they only arrived this year,” he says. Similarly, F-16 jets, due next year, are now less helpful, suggests the general, in part because Russia has improved its air defences: an experimental version of the S-400 missile system can reach beyond the city of Dnipro, he warns.

The delay in arms deliveries, though frustrating, is not the main cause of Ukraine’s predicament, according to General Zaluzhny. “It is important to understand that this war cannot be won with the weapons of the past generation and outdated methods,” he insists. “They will inevitably lead to delay and, as a consequence, defeat.” It is, instead, technology that will be decisive, he argues.

Crimea, the general believes, remains Mr Putin’s greatest vulnerability. His legitimacy rests on having brought it back to Russia in 2014. Over the past few months, Ukraine has taken the war into the peninsula, which remains critical to the logistics of the conflict. “It must know that it is part of Ukraine and that this war is happening there.” On October 30th Ukraine struck Crimea with American-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles for the first time.

General Zaluzhny is desperately trying to prevent the war from settling into the trenches. “The biggest risk of an attritional trench war is that it can drag on for years and wear down the Ukrainian state,” he says. In the first world war, politics interfered before technology could make a difference. Four empires collapsed and a revolution broke out in Russia.

Mr Putin is counting on a collapse in Ukrainian morale and Western support. There is no question in General Zaluzhny’s mind that a long war favours Russia, which has a population three times and an economy ten times the size of Ukraine. “Let’s be honest, it’s a feudal state where the cheapest resource is human life. And for us…the most expensive thing we have is our people,” he says. For now he has enough soldiers. But the longer the war goes on, the harder it will be to sustain. “We need to look for this solution, we need to find this gunpowder, quickly master it and use it for a speedy victory. Because sooner or later we are going to find that we simply don’t have enough people to fight.”

In all seriousness, we in Ukraine are blessed by heaven to have a top military leader who is talented enough to have achieved outstanding, historically remarkable victories against an overwhelmingly stronger adversary despite a dire lack of resources – and also who is capable of…

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) November 2, 2023

In all seriousness, we in Ukraine are blessed by heaven to have a top military leader who is talented enough to have achieved outstanding, historically remarkable victories against an overwhelmingly stronger adversary despite a dire lack of resources – and also who is capable of admitting his mistakes, talking about complicated truths, and laying out proper plans of how to move on.

Zaluzhny’s military is far from perfect, his war is brutal and bloodletting, and his burden is heavy. That’s for sure.

And from his article for the Economist, it gives me hope that we have Zaluzhny against Russia’s “seizig Kyiv in three days,” and “18,000 Ukrainian vehicles destroyed” and Shoigu’s “37 Ukrainian aircraft downed this month alone”.

For those of you who have been reading along for the past 616 days you know that my major criticism of the Biden administration’s approach to Ukraine is that it has been too risk averse, too slow, and unable to actually recognize the reality that we are in a world war and have been since Putin declared one at the Munich Security Conference in 2007 while blaming it on the US, our EU, and our NATO allies. As a result our defense industrial base is still not on a way footing and now we have two theaters of operations to worry about and no way to properly provision our allies and partners in either one. The result is that Putin has solidified his position and functionally frozen the conflict. At every single decision point, Putin has gotten what he wanted from the US: risk aversion, indecision, and a too slow by (at least) half response from the administration. From Congress he’s gotten gridlock now that the GOP controls the House and there is a sufficient nationalist-populist/isolationist/anti-Ukrainian rump among the Senate GOP to ensure that any further legislation to provide aid to Ukraine are unlikely to pass.

https://twitter.com/john_sipher/status/1720061048860938499

Gallup poll published on Thursday suggests US public growing increasingly skeptical of Ukraine funding. 41% of Americans believe US doing “too much” to support Ukraine, compared with 29% in June. Americans who think US backing for Kyiv “not enough” edged down to 25%; 28% in June. pic.twitter.com/uS1amXQL4t

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) November 2, 2023

What this leaves is the last $5 billion already appropriated and presidential drawdown authority under a declared emergency. Reuters has the details on that:

WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) – The Biden administration plans to announce a $425 million military aid package for Ukraine on Friday including counter drone rockets and munitions, two U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The package is not expected to include additional ATACMS missiles. Senior congressional Republicans have urged President Joe Biden to send longer-range missiles to Ukraine, despite pushback from some conservative lawmakers against more aid.

The planned aid package for Ukraine includes about $300 million worth of laser-guided munitions to shoot down Russian drones, according to a document seen by Reuters and one of the officials. The funds for those munitions come from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) program, which allows the Biden administration to buy weapons from industry rather than pull from U.S. weapons stocks.

The remainder of the $125 million worth of weapons pledges include additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) air defenses, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 105 and 155 millimeter artillery, TOW anti-tank weapons, Claymore anti-personnel mines, small arms, and a dozen trucks, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Those weapons pledges are made possible by utilizing Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which authorizes Biden to transfer articles and services from U.S. stocks without congressional approval during an emergency. The material will come from excess U.S. inventory.

The Biden administration still has about $5 billion of congressionally granted presidential drawdown authority, after the Pentagon found in June it had overestimated the value of arms shipped to Ukraine due to a $6.2 billion accounting error.

The Ukrainians are not going to stop, but if they fail to liberate all of their people and territory from Russian occupation, which amounts to a victory for Putin and Russia, that failure will not have been the result of any decision made in Kyiv or action taken on the battlefield in Ukraine. That failure will be the result of what was and was not done in the White House and in Congress.

Avdiivka:

Unbelievable.
The Battle of Avdiivka documented by Ukraine's 47th Mechanized. pic.twitter.com/BgGslMzEEj

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) November 2, 2023

47th Brigade of Ukraine repels Russian attacks on Avdiivka.https://t.co/5mOtKuwzRJ pic.twitter.com/YxUy42HV2k

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 2, 2023

Ukrainian journalist Butusov with a fairly detailed overview of the Avdiivka battlefield, saying that mistakes were made by the military command that led to the current crisis, but Ukrainian forces remain in a favourable position if they manage to organise defence of the flanks… pic.twitter.com/WG3PtbvQO1

— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) November 2, 2023

Here’s the four screen grabs of Dmitri’s translation of the reporting:

53rd Brigade drones dropping anti-tank mines on Russians in Vodyane, southern flank of the Avdiivka battle.https://t.co/tcGcxkw5Jy pic.twitter.com/BDFqrFx7sR

— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) November 2, 2023

Vuhledar:

It's been almost exactly a year when Russians tried to storm Vuhledar for the first time and even a year later the results are the same: disastrous.#Ukraine #Donetsk #Vuhledar https://t.co/Iy3gHh3VaV

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) November 2, 2023

72nd Brigade of Ukraine repels Russian attack on Vuhledar front. Video by Deepstate.

“There is no full understanding of the circumstances of the battle yet. According to preliminary information, a column with a considerable amount of tanks and infantry tried to attack east of… https://t.co/iHNBopTaYU pic.twitter.com/BK5xvB2iWf

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 2, 2023

72nd Brigade of Ukraine repels Russian attack on Vuhledar front. Video by Deepstate.

“There is no full understanding of the circumstances of the battle yet. According to preliminary information, a column with a considerable amount of tanks and infantry tried to attack east of the village Mykilske. As a result, at least 18 AFVs were destroyed/damaged, some of them can be seen in the video.

Excellent work 72nd Brigade.”
https://t.me/DeepStateUA/17975

 

Deepstate about todays Russian attack attempt on Vuhledar front.

«Another column of the enemy has been defeated. This time in the Mykilske area.

⚔️As a result of heavy fighting, the enemy failed. A total of 18 AFVs were lost byRussians. Among them, at least 8 tanks and 3 MT-LB… pic.twitter.com/2120upMJtF

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 2, 2023

Deepstate about todays Russian attack attempt on Vuhledar front.

«Another column of the enemy has been defeated. This time in the Mykilske area.

⚔️As a result of heavy fighting, the enemy failed. A total of 18 AFVs were lost byRussians. Among them, at least 8 tanks and 3 MT-LB were preliminary identified. Russians tried to advance from the eastern outskirts of Mykilske.

📹 The video of the defeat will be coming soon.»

https://t.me/DeepStateUA/17974

The first videos of Russian morning attack on the Vugledar front began to appear. Preliminarily, Russian losses shown in the video are identified as: 1xT-80BV with the KMT-7 mine trawl; 2xT-72B3 obr.2022; 1xBMP-1 or 2.https://t.co/KpPrjtUjbL https://t.co/UrEbD8yvm9 pic.twitter.com/MLfrSPSoj2

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 2, 2023

This morning Russians made attempts to attack on the Vugledar front. It is said that at least 10 pieces of Russian equipment were destroyed.
Photos by soldiers of the 72nd Brigade of Ukraine.https://t.co/PUWy1eXK3Ohttps://t.co/5BmiuZViB3 pic.twitter.com/ekw8ukkA1j

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 2, 2023

Kupyansk:

Part 2
14th Brigade of Ukraine repels Russian attacks on Kupyansk front. https://t.co/pmfdwJlcVJ https://t.co/AJSeaKRHbj pic.twitter.com/I3ybM4yp35

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 2, 2023

Bakhmut:

Strike on Russian command and staff vehicle R-149AKSh-1. Bakhmut direction. ~22km from the front. https://t.co/z9z8gmwgcb pic.twitter.com/40jEFl6qh9

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 2, 2023

The left bank of the Dnipro, Russian Occupied Kherson Oblast:

Four more Russian BTR-82A destroyed in the left bank Kherson region. Video by the Birds of Magyar unit. https://t.co/D4ddlLd0uV pic.twitter.com/qqZUybWyAo

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 2, 2023

Svitlodarsk, Donetsk Oblast:

Strike on the Zala 421-16E during preparations for the flight. By the 3rd Separate Special Purpose Regiment of Ukraine. Near Svitlodarsk, Donetsk region.
P.S: The video is also a good reminder that shrapnel exists.https://t.co/ahGFPzPkIP pic.twitter.com/nFfZeupmdb

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 2, 2023

For you logistics and acquisitions enthusiasts:

Piranha AVD 360 electronic warfare complex, designed for protection of armoured vehicles and personnel against Russian UAVs, currently under development in Ukraine

“The complex creates a protective dome up to 600 meters around itself. Under the influence of the system, the… pic.twitter.com/1pexQIBhcA

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 2, 2023

Piranha AVD 360 electronic warfare complex, designed for protection of armoured vehicles and personnel against Russian UAVs, currently under development in Ukraine

“The complex creates a protective dome up to 600 meters around itself. Under the influence of the system, the copter or kamikaze drone cannot receive commands and transmit data. As a result, the “bird” either hangs in the air, makes an emergency landing, or falls uncontrollably.

Piranha also suppresses satellite navigation systems, for example, the Russian GLONASS. Now the system has successfully passed field tests and is ready for serial production.” – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov.

https://t.me/zedigital/3802

Russian military wives after dark:

Fascinating story about the wives of Russian soldiers who have turned against the war – not because of the dead Ukrainian children but because their husbands left them for women they met in the occupied territorieshttps://t.co/NVPTLpYkV0

— Jade McGlynn (@DrJadeMcGlynn) November 2, 2023

Here’s some machine translated excerpts:

Since February 2022, Russian authorities have been cultivating the image of a war hero who, risking his life, protects his homeland and family from an external threat in Ukraine. But the wives of the military are increasingly recognized: the husband met another in the war and demands a divorce.
For some of them, it was the crisis in the family, and not thousands of reports of killed Ukrainians, that was an occasion to overestimate what was happening in Ukraine.

On September 25, 2023, two women met in one of the courts of the Yaroslavl region: Veronika, a local resident, and Svetlana, who came to a meeting from Voronezh. Both appeared in court for the sake of one divorce proceedings, in which mobilized Mikhail could not personally participate.

« Husband on the SVO, so he wrote a power of attorney on her, and she came to divorce me, — Veronica tells the journalist „ Turns “ voice message and crying. — Received mean — and my husband, and volunteer. The blow was good, unpleasant in the back. But the court postponed the divorce for three months. I immediately said that I want to keep the family ».

Since the fall of 2022, Svetlana has been purchasing humanitarian aid and military equipment for Russian soldiers and is transporting through frontline areas. So she met Veronica’s husband.

To file for divorce, they came to the Yaroslavl region together when the mobilized had a vacation in August. A few weeks before that, the volunteer wrote to Veronica in a snap.

« Say, I’m sorry, please, we fell in love with each other, God brought us together, — she retells her message. — And I replied: I brought you down, and I was saved ».

Veronica wrote about the fact that her marriage is crumbling in the comments of one of the largest communities in « VKontakte », where for more than a year the wives of Russian mobilized and contractors have been discussing their problems and supporting each other.

Anonymous reports of a crisis in the family alternate in groups with tips on how to encourage military personnel, what equipment to buy at the front, and what if the spouse came on vacation « the wrong person ». By posting on treason in a war or on the desire to divorce a fighting husband, many women admit that they are ashamed.

— Please, without judgment, and so enough. My husband turned out to be a traitor. We need a divorce from the mobilized, there is a child, he will be three years old soon. What documents are needed and how to do it without problems, then to live in peace and without tears?

— Anonymous because it is embarrassing. I cry every night in the pillow, put candles in the church for him, and he? But she faced condemnation. Mom is terrified of what I’m doing. How I will be alone with children, I must forgive and wait. In addition, no one canceled the money.

— My husband also found a Ukrainian with a child, and he no longer needs his own family. Even the photo posted them in « Classmates ». The son, when he saw, cried badly. Do not forgive them just for being at war.

— Mine also found another. Waited, cried, prayed that she would survive. And when he said « not needed », spat. He married and died.

— Lovely ladies, do not squish your nose! Grow spiritually! Of course, he did a bad job, but karma is smacking worse. We are waiting for the answer of the universe.

— Let it bring down. Do not spare, do not give a divorce. Will die — get paid. If he survives, he will remain naked and whores will not need it. That’s all the advice.

Community subscribers often ask administrators not to publish posts about military changes. Like, they increase the level of anxiety in readers and provoke new fears. Some women even claim that similar stories — « TAG1> are invented to » destroy the morale of « the Russian military and their families.

Those who really face treason reassure each other in personal messages, calculate alimony, turn to psychologists and energy practitioners to « forgive » spouse, or try to get him back from the war and keep his marriage at home.

Much, much more at the link!

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There’s a new slideshow at Patron’s official TikTok. Those won’t embed here, so if you want to see it click through.

Here’s some Patron adjacent material from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

This cat predicts that your day will be nice. Just believe it!

📸: 241st @TDF_UA Brigade pic.twitter.com/j404D95bWu

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 2, 2023