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Russian Aggression - Blog Posts
No Genocide
Crimean Tatars in Ukraine commemorate russia's deportation of their entire population from their homeland from the 18th-20th May 1944.
2024 is the 80th anniversary of Stalin's ethnic cleansing of Crimea.
Sources:
The Kyiv Post
The Atlantic Council
OSCE
2 years since Mariupol defenders started to leave Azovstal in Mariupol and were captured by russians. Around 2000 Mariupol defenders are still in russian captivity.
Photo from Azovstal by Dmytro "Orest" Kozatskyi
1945: The village of Uskut, Crimea after Stalin's deportation of the entire native population of the Crimean Tatars from the 18th-20th of May 1944.
russian colonisers had yet to move into the houses.
Today, May 18, marks the 80th anniversary of the forced removal of the Crimean Tatars from their native Crimea by the Soviet authorities. This deportation is called Sürgünlik.
Now, in occupied by russia Crimea, the Crimean Tatars are once again suffering from repression. Their homes are being searched, they are being arrested, their culture is being destroyed. Ukraine is doing everything possible to defeat this evil. Because this evil must be defeated. Free nations must be free.
More information on the foreign agent law.
Our (Georgian as in the country) government quietly made new additions to the foreign agent law today.
1. The foreign agent law will affect not only organizations, but individuals. Failure to comply with the law causes a 5000 lari fine.
2. The law will allow the government all of your personal information including your political stance and sexual relationships. It makes every organization forced to comply with handing over all of our information to the government. If you are queer, have differing political views, or are part of a non-governmental organization against domestic violence, your anonymity is no longer guaranteed.
3. Only thing this does not include is country's secrets, nothing else is off the table.
russia(ns) must burn.
Another post regarding why I hate Russia and Russians. Only the tip of the iceberg.
Tomorrow I'll have to leave my home because of russians. Again.
Ukraine is going back to blackouts today, just like we did in fall and winter of 2022-2023, due to russians attacks on our energy infrastructure. We appreciate our energy workers so much, this is what they're dealing with.
Here are two poems by Maksym Kryvtsov, a Ukrainian poet, who was killed defending Ukraine back in January. One of the poems is dedicated to a ginger cat that followed him around faithfully and later died with him. Please read his words, don't let them die too.
Information about ongoing nationwide protests in Georgia
Sadly, typical russia.
Russia kidnapped yet another Georgian, Ramaz Begheluri as he was visiting his brother's grave close to the occupation line. Easter is a very important holy celebration, eastern orthodoxs visit their dead relatives to pay respect the next day. Kidnapping someone as they are trying to visit their dead brother's grave in this holy week is an unforgivable sin — Russians are no christians, they only pretend when it suits their agenda.
🇬🇪 Police brutality at protests in Georgia (Sakartvelo).
🇬🇪 The police are brutally cracking down protesters in Georgia (Sakartvelo). Georgians are protesting the draft of foreign agents bill (so called "russian law"), which would put their democracy at risk. In general, protests are also anti-government and against russian influence on their country. International news barely covers protests in Georgia, which allows police and government to act like this even more freely and without consequences.
When the anti "LGBT propaganda" law passed in Russia, all of you were going insane and cared. Give Georgia the same energy. If you can have sympathy for our oppressors on the basis of them being queer, you should keep the same energy for us, if not more.
If this law passes, every Georgian queer person I know is so severely fucked, myself included. If you make jokes about "being illegal in several countries" you better fucking care about the countries you're apparently illegal in, or going to be illegal in.
Make sure to spread this around. This is important.
How can I, someone outside of Georgia (the country), help fight the foreign agent bill?
For information about brands you can boycott and the summary of what the foreign agent law entails, click on the link above, which refers to my older post. The government's escalating use of force and intimidation techniques during and outside of protests, such as threat phone calls, jumping people in the street, paying sportsmen to physically assault people. The police force has been using methods such as physical violence, torture, tear gas, rubber bullets, and water streams. Along with boycotting, there is a big amount of Georgians emigrating from the country, and organizing protests in other countries. Think about the resources and skills you have that you can use to help demonstrations on the ground and spread awareness on the issue. This might include your graphic design or copywriting skills, a large social media following - aid the protesters by spreading the word. SHARE information that might be useful for protesters inside and outside of Georgia. And most importantly donate, speak to people around you, and attend protests closeby to where you live. Some details of protests outside of Georgia and donation links will be listed below: List of currently known international protests: 12/05 15:00 Venice Biennale Georgian Pavilion | Venice 12/05 15:00 Piazza Garibaldi | Naples 12/05 16:00 Placa de Catalunya | Barcelona 12/05 16:00 Consulado de Georgia | Madrid 13/05 18:00-20:00 Brighton 4th & broadwalk | New York 14/05 18:30-20:30 Place du Pantheon | Paris 17/05 17:30 EU Commission | Brussels 17/05 18:30 Embassy of Georgia | London (And keep an eye on gza.europe on Instagram, for any further news on protests in Europe) Donation links: Shame Movement - Provides gear for protests, organizing demonstrations. GYLA - Georgia's Young Lawyer Association, providing legal help to those detained at demonstrations. All we ask for, is to have you fight together with us.
Brands you can boycott to help Georgia (the country) fight against the foreign agent law +what you need to know about it:
[Image ID: Three logos of different international chains depicted on a white background. On top the bands presented are Wendy's and Subway. On the bottom, it's Dunkin' Donuts. End ID.]
The foreign agent law (also locally referred to as "the Russian law". On February 2023, the ruling majority of the parliament registered a draft law, addressing a completely made-up problem of transparency of non-governmental organizations. The law refers to non-governmental organizations that receive funding from abroad as "foreign agents." In Georgian, "foreign agent" carries the same meaning as "spy." Back in 2023, we managed to fight back against the law that would completely destroy student exchange programs, charity work, LGBT and disability organizations, etc. The law would also allow the government to persecute you for something inconsequential, such as an anti-government post on social media. If the law passes, it would cause most of Georgia to be locked out of international relations and would demolish most of our scarce support systems.
Those are not all of the brands that support the Russian law here, however they are the international ones that through their owners in Georgia support the passing of the law.
Additionally, the government has paid people outside the regions to protest in support of passing of the law, and has threatened them with losses of their jobs and the jobs of their family members.
The protests have been going for many days endlessly, and policemen have been getting more and more brutal. Utilizing things such as water jets, armor, shields, flashlights, smoke, gas, etc.
Please stay with Georgia and support it against the country that has endlessly colonized, genocided, and raped us.
Thank you, Sakartvelo. Keep fighting. We believe in you.
🇬🇪🫂🇺🇦
HELLO! MY COUNTRY IS DESCENDING INTO AUTHORITARIANISM! PLEASE READ!
I'm too angry to formulate how many lines the government has crossed and how dangerous the situation has gotten… please read, and know the truth.
Long post about so-called Ukrainian “xenophobia” towards russians. If you’re not from East Europe\Ukraine - PLEASE, READ IT.
Me and my friends are really tired from seeing shit like this, so here’s simplest explanation to (almost) every popular agrument and answer to it.
Starting with definition. Xenophobia = hate for something foreign just because it is foreign. We DO NOT hate russians just because they're russians.
We hate russians for their warcrimes: both of the past and present.
(Litteraly the day I wrote this thread on Twitter it was another missile attack in the morning)
To put it plane and simple: russians and everything russia related aren't bad for just being russian: russians and everything russia related are bad because they destroying our lifes, cities, kill, rape, stole, occupy, torture and etc.
"But not every russian is related to military! Most of them against war!"
Oh? Really?
But even without numbers: you need to understand that more often so-called anti war russians are just ignorant to what their country doing. Be against war isn't about just words and position - it's about proving your position action. And by taking none since 2014, russians made it clear that they're okay with war.
"Anti war" russians most likely still paying taxes, and those money lately goes to army. "Anti war" russians, again, didn't do anything to stop war. Hell, most of liberal russians are direct imperialists.
So, if you see russian online and even if they're proclame themselves to be antiwar, in 99% cases they aren't.
Also, I simplifying most of things to better understanding, but you also need to know that without context of East Europe\russia-Ukraine conflict history a lot of imperialistic russian shit can pass though your ears. Just be aware of it.
"But how can they do anything against in such authoritarian country!"
Let's head back to simple math. According to russian sources, there was almost 15k detained (note: detained =\= convicted) for anti-war actions.
It all may sound scary... Until you look at looses of ru army.
So it is MUCH more safer in russia to be anti-war that is to be pro-war. Does it bother russians? Not at all.
and don't get me started on how lame it is for country with 144 million population to be afraid of abvously much lesser police force)
***
So, in summary:
Ukranians don't hate russians for being russians. Ukranians hate russians for being bloodthursty, ignorant mass who actively support war and\or don't do a shit to stop it.
Most russians, even "good" ones - likely a war supporter. Yes, they may not a straight forward z-one, but almost 100% an ignorant person who supports war by their money and absence of action against it.
We, Ukranians, have neither the strength nor the desire to look for a needle in our son's haystack.
Keep it in mind and please, do not get into conflicts, the nature and context of which you do not understand. Thanks for reading.
P.S Also there's a really good thread on Twitter that looks over this as a question of basic empathy, so please read it as well.
P.S.S And feel free to ask questions.
Fight for them as they fought for you
Mykyta Tatyanko "Zhyvchyk", a soldier of the 501st separate marine battalion, is still in captivity. He hit the front pages of all the world's media because he was simply helping the wounded during the shelling of the Mariupol maternity hospital. Because he just wanted to save someone.
In Mariupol, Zhyvchyk provided moral support to the locals. Ksenia, a resident of the city, met the soldier when a residential area was shelled. That day, March 12, her family was injured and slaughtered - her 16-year-old son and her sister's husband were killed instantly. "I was in a state of shock: I wanted to commit suicide because half of my family was killed in front of me, and the other half was not sure if they would survive," Ksenia said. The young defender helped the woman to keep her morale up. Mykyta convinced her that she shouldn't do anything to herself because many people around her needed help. "You are needed here, let's go help," Ksenia recalls. Ksenia told Mykyta's mother, Larysa, everything in detail, and told her that she had become the heroine of a movie about Mariupol. She also talked a lot about Mykyta in the movie, but she didn't give them any details. They are still in touch. Once she said: "Maybe you will be offended by me, but now Mykyta will be my adopted son." And Larysa was very happy about that, because now they both pray for him sincerely. Larysa was also contacted by one of the guys who was in the TRO and headed the security of the hospital in the city center. In a conversation with the soldier's mother, the defender said that in Mariupol, her son shared his food and medicine with the residents. Mykyta gave away almost everything he had.
❗In these pictures, he is 19 years old. At the age of 18, he voluntarily chose the path of the military, which even before the full-scale war, he was in the east part of Ukraine. Mykyta has been in captivity for almost 2 years, so he is now 21.
Please, share stories of our defenders in captivity. Many of them, including Mykyta have been there more than 2 years. You can only imagine what Russians do and tell them. Russians entertain themselves by breaking people, especially Ukrainians. They fiercely hate people who protect and fight for freedom. I hope our people find even more power in themselves to live through the hell of russian captivity. And when defenders all come back to their homeland, they will be themselves, in a healthy state like body and mind. There so many people are waiting for them. They deserve only good things after all of that.
The gorgeous Frank with important message in Kyiv.
Parents in temporarily occupied Luhansk region are facing threats of having their newborns taken away in hospitals unless either parent has russian citizenship.
I was scrolling Instagram Reels and everything was fine, until I saw a video of a Ukrainian girl dubbing anime.
Honestly, I forgot what a pleasure is communication with not all Russians
She’s a cool girl but why she doesn’t speak Russian?
Well, I don’t know. Because other languages exist? Oh, wait
And now write in a human language
Explanation: a human language is any other language that is not Ukrainian, cause you know, Ukrainian language is an animal language
The Ukrainian language is a rural Russian. That’s why a lot of people find it funny. We haven’t been to the village, haven’t heard «бурак» (a twisted Ukrainian word for beetroot) and «кавун» (a Ukrainian word for watermelon).
The good old Russian belief that Ukrainian is a language of uneducated people from the countryside
South Slavic forms of Russian are quite similar to each other, do you also laugh at Serbian language or South Western Czech language?
It seems this person was trying to talk some sense into the previous user but South Western Czech is a South Slavic form of Russian????
Actually, no politics or something, but Ukrainian sounds somehow, I don’t know, like a rural language
A few moments later
500k dead pigs. It’s not enough, we need more
What did happened to ‘no politics’?
It’s common for Russians to call Ukrainians pigs, by the way
The most useless dubbing
It’s useless because it’s Ukrainian. Nothing new
Who might find the rural language, which only makes you laugh and smile, useful? You, even the Ukrainians themselves, don’t speak it
There are only two types of Russians: who thinks that no people speak Ukrainian in Ukraine, and who thinks that evil people who speak Ukrainian violate rights of Russian speakers in Ukraine
Weird, I’m so accustomed to reading such comments for all these years that I don’t have any emotional response to the insults.
11 years old Ilya tells about his experiences in occupied Mariupol (Donetsk region, Ukraine). Ilya's mother died in his hand after being injured by a russian bomb, he later was kidnapped by russian forces.
Local kids are collecting things that belonged to their dead friend.
A book on Chemistry for the 7th grade, children drawings, younger brother's book on Math for 1st grade, an Alphabet book, old photos...
In Synelnikove, Russian missile killed a whole family in their own house - a grandmother, her daughter and her two granddaughters - 14 and 8 years old. Doctors were able to reanimate the youngest child - a boy of 6.
Not gonna lie, my morale is at the lowest point it's been since the beginning of the invasion. Russians are successfully occupying more and more territories and shell frontline regions every day. People are dying, our culture and herritage is destroyed. International aid dwindled significantly because of american bullshit. Mobilization law has been signed and there is a chance that my family members get conscripted soon. Don't even get me started on internal political problems. A bunch of articles in foreign media talking about our defeat and "peace talks" (what a joke).
It feels like there were no at least moderately good news in a while. On top of that, the feeling that we are screaming into the void is stronger than ever. I'm happy when I see a foreigner online supporting us and spreading the word, because it gets rarer. Ukrainians feel like none of what's happening gets outside our info bubble. Most likely no one but Ukrainians will see this post either. Honestly don't know what to make of all of this.
24.02.2022.
The day that changed my life forever.
24th of February 2022 should have been my usual day. No, not usual. A wonderful day. I should have been checked with a doctor, gave notice to teachers in high school of my absence, and then fly away on vacation, my parents wanted it so much.
On 23rd of February 2022 I felt happy. I had a secure, happy life, preparing to finals, hanging out with my friends, already having an offer from university.
Until 5AM 24.02.2022.
I had not a single class in my school since then.
I haven’t seen my friend group in 2 years.
I didn’t have my finals.
We did not have that vacation.
“Daughter, wake up. This old psychotic man attacked us. We are leaving.”
That was my first photo of the day, trying sarcastically keep myself normal. I remember that actual emptiness, reading my classmates texts about how their windows were shaking because of explosions, the sky was orange. They sent that video.
He called it “a special military operation”.
I collected random clothes, some hobby stuff just to keep my sanity, grabbed my pet, emptied my safety locker. I was scared that russians would intrude into our home and steal all my savings, so I throw away key to that lock. This key became my symbol of war, I have never found it even after return.
When I with my parents and pet got out of flat to car we heard for the very first time air raid siren. We would hear so many more of them, we would learn to differentiate them, but then we were confused.
It was my second photo. People were going away. Foot, cars, bicycles. I remember such a surreal picture. Some moms were carrying their toddlers, one woman was carrying a bucket of water with turtles, other people were carrying cages with parrots, with dogs, with cats, with exotic pets despite air raid siren, temperature, rain. Everyone was so confused and scared.
Few days later the road we were riding was occupied. Bridges destroyed. Factories burnt. Supermarkets demolished. Houses in ruins. Road in holes. On the side of the road burnt cars with “DO NOT TOUCH, POSSIBLY EXPLOSIVE”. That gut wrenching feeling seeing photos of dead bodies and recognising the place.
But back then it was still lively, not a road of death. I remember reading news then. First victims, first shelling. Invasion from East. Invasion from Kharkiv region. Invasion from Crimea. Invasion from Chernihiv. Invasion from Zhytomyr. And we were in Zhytomyr region at that moment. Explosions in Kyiv. The border was destroyed.
I felt nothing. Just emptiness.
This precious girl was keeping my head cool all the road. She was also scared and irritated, but she was so strong, such an amazing girl. I am so proud of her.
We were heading to my grandparents who lived closer to West Ukraine, so we would be safer. The road that takes usually just 4 hours but that time it took 13 hours. 13 hours of driving exhausted and nerved. We saw soldiers, trucks, jets, how barricades were built, signs were removed.
But we made it. We were lucky. Lucky to be alive, to have family alive and mostly close to West, further from russia. Even though, part of my extended family still was under occupation in Chernihiv region, suffering from such close border with belarus.
When we arrived, we were just silent. Then collected mattresses for shelter, asked grandpa to grab some patrol (we knew that they would definitely destroy reservoirs and literally next day the started doing that), and just fell asleep in something that we arrived in, being so scared.
That day I also cut ties with russian friend who I am shamed to admit having. He was proving me that this is just a military operation, no one would be harmed.
Then, arrived spring that I will never forget but at the same time never remember. I remember 10 people in one floor house. I remember the whistle of rocket that woke us up. I remember sirens. I remember news. I remember losing hope. I remember first photos after deoccupation of Kyiv region. I remember how forgotten friend of my dad suddenly called him saying that his city is fully destroyed, his neighbour right on his eyes was exploded attempting to get into the car and evacuate.
I remember my first mental breakdown. How I was crying in the darkness, but quietly so no one would notice.
We were able to return home three months later. But we are just lucky. Someone would never return. Someone is not even alive to see their home again. Someone’s home is forever destroyed.
I was lucky that I have secured my place at foreign university before war, but my whole family is still in Ukraine.
War is not over at all. 20% of Ukraine is occupied. So many displaced civilians, so many deaths. No one could even count, we do not have any access to bodies. Only way to identify is to deoccupy and find mass graves. No other means. Children are suffering from PTSD even in such a young age. Almost in every city, big or small, you would find graveyards covered in Ukrainian flag, grave of the soldier.
Maybe media does not talk that much of us, but it doesn’t mean that everything is alright. Avdiivka is destroyed, right now operation searching for people under debris of the civilian house after attack is undergoing.
And this is happening all the time.
Who was punished for Olenivka? Who was punished for destruction of Kakhovka Dam? Who was punished for all fully destroyed cities? Who was responsible for all that absolutely atrocious videos torturing Ukrainian soldiers?
Please, remember, Ukraine is still on fire. People are still dying. Soldiers cannot even counterattack because they do not have enough ammo, just for protection. Information war is also waging, sharing all that misinformation, Nazi narratives, russian propaganda.
Remember.
Help.
Share.
russia is a terrorist state.
Glory to Ukraine.
Glory to the Heroes.
I will also join my fellow Ukrainians in sharing how 24th of February 2022 went for us.
I didn't go to sleep that night. The day before I had a check-in call regarding my uni project. All of my group mates did. I don't remember what I was doing so late at night but the fact is - I didn't sleep. My partner was already in bed but still scrolling her phone. Suddenly she sits up and says that russians on social media are saying that "we all will be fucked", and that Ukrainians are commenting on hearing loud bangs in their cities. We sit in silence shocked for a couple of minutes. Then we hear it as well. A loud bang. The kind that shakes the ground. We hear car sirens. A moment passes before we hear another one. I started packing my backpack with my documents and money. My dad says it won't be necessary, that they are just attacking the strategic military buildings. I don't remember how the rest of the night/early morning went. I don't remember if I've slept. In the morning the president had announced that the war has started.
Two weeks later I would leave for Belgium with my partner to not sit on my family's shoulders, to not be a burden. Everything is going relatively well for me: I found a job, I have a place to live, I am not struggling with food. Of course I had to sacrifice my degree for the lack of language and my hobbies for the lack of free time. That is why I don't draw much anymore. I just hope that in the future I will be able to do it again.
Two years passed and I feel like people abroad got used to the war. I am not fully aware of the whole situation but from my side it feels like people are forgetting about us. Like we are receiving less support. Like we are starting to loose. I just hope that it's not true and that it just feels that way.
Though Internet has been really hostile to Ukrainian voices lately. And there is so much misinformation. My partner met a woman near the station who pretended to be Ukrainian to beg for money. She didn't speak any Ukrainian or, for that matter, russian, just English. She didn't expect someone to talk back to her in Ukrainian.
I just hope that we will win the war and it will happen soon. My whole being hurts when I read the news about russian war crimes and the tragedies that just keep happening to my people.
If you have anything to spare, consider donating to the Ukrainian army. Reach out to your government, show up to protests. I'm tired of seeing only Ukrainians doing it. We can't do this alone, we will need everything that we can get.
https://u24.gov.ua/
Слава Україні! Героям слава!
І мирного неба!
I often think about Hlodan family. Please take a moment to learn about them.
On April 23, 2022, on Easter Eve, russian missile hit the Tiras residential complex in Odesa, Ukraine. Eight people were killed, including Yurii's family - his wife Valeriia, three-month-old daughter Kira and mother-in-law Liudmyla. Yurii survived, because at the moment he went to the shop.
Look at baby Kira's tiny pink hat. Cute little onesie. That baby was so wanted and loved. Mother's post on Facebook form February says "These were the best 40 weeks ever. Our girl is 1 month old now. Daddy got her her first flowers. It's a whole new level of happiness".
Yurii donated diapers, one of the few things he could find in destroyed apartment, to the charity. He also took photo albums, his wife's collection of sugar packets, handwritten notes.
Yurii spoke about his wife very lovingly and tenderly: "Her ability to communicate with different people, to understand people, the way she knew how to talk, how beautifully she wrote... You can’t even imagine how she wrote! And what kind of mother she was... You can’t even imagine! This is a mother, this is a friend, this is a daughter - with the best qualities... I simply cannot find another person like her. Person like this can only be given by God once".
After losing his family, Yurii decided to join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On 5 November, 2023, his colleague Oleksandr Yakovenko reported that Yurii was killed at the front. The whole family is gone.
