#слава україні!

[tomorrowusa]

« All of us have in our minds a cartoon image of an autocratic state. There is a bad man at the top. He controls the army and the police. The army and the police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents. But in the twenty-first century, that cartoon bears little resemblance to reality.

Nowadays, autocracies are run not by one bad guy but by sophisticated networks relying on kleptocratic financial structures, a complex of security services— military, paramilitary, police—and technological experts who provide surveillance, propaganda, and disinformation. The members of these networks are connected not only to one another within a given autocracy but also to networks in other autocratic countries, and sometimes in democracies too. Corrupt, state-controlled companies in one dictatorship do business with corrupt, state-controlled companies in another. The police in one country may arm, equip, and train the police in many others. The propagandists share resources—the troll farms and media networks that promote one dictator’s propaganda can also be used to promote another’s—as well as themes: the degeneracy of democracy, the stability of autocracy, the evil of America. »

– Journalist and historian Anne Applebaum at Substack quoting from her soon to be released book Autocracy, Inc..

You can read several more paragraphs from Autocracy, Inc. at the Substack link above. Her book will be published on the 23rd; if you're within distance of Washington, DC she will be doing a free book reading and Q&A on Friday July 26th at Politics and Prose. She's a good writer and speaker. I've read two of her previous books and can vouch for their quality.

The war in Ukraine is not some remote conflict that idiots like J.D. Vance or Neville Chamberlain might dismiss out of stupidity. Ukraine is just one arena in a worldwide clash between liberal democracy and kleptocratic tyranny.

[atheadax]

He was a good stalker

Fly high, Loki. Glory to our Ukrainian Hero ❤️ Героям Слава 🇺🇦

[littleshploinka]

Ten years ago the russian set foot in my country. The russian raped. The russian killed. The russian pillaged. The world kept on silently turning, ignorant of what Ukraine was going through. Peace of mind was higher on the list of priorities than peace.

But then the 24. February 2022 happened. And the world seemed to, for the first time, notice.

It's 26. February 2024 now. Two years and two days since.

Last year I was thankful for my comfort, yet this year I am revolted by the comfort those around me choose to bask in, consciously buying it with the lives of those they deem far enough away to be expendable.

It's been two years and still the russian rapes, kills, pillages, tortures, steals, defiles and rapes again and kills again. And the "war in Ukraine" is still somehow a controversial topic and the life of the Ukrainian mother, child, husband, uncle, grandmother, neighbour, friend, or classmate is but a statistic.

So I address this post to you, the comfortable one.

Look in the eyes of the pregnant woman raped to death by russian soldiers and tell her "you're a statistic".

Look in the eyes of the man shot by russian soldiers while on his way to feed his elderly mother and tell him "you're a number".

Look in the eyes of the child bringing canned food to their mother's grave after she was starved to death by russian soldiers sieging Mariupol and tell them "your mother is a number".

And to you compassionate ones:

Break the silence. Speak and scream and sing of russia's crimes and Ukraine's resistance,

Donate. A dollar, two, five, ten, twenty. Alone, with your family, with your friends. Buy a vest, helmet, a bandaid, a meal, a drone.

You can save a life.

I'll keep on doing just that. I will shout and donate and cry. And hope we can finally heal. Hope we can finally grieve.

Hope we can finally.

Fucking.

Rest.

Слава Україні 🇺🇦

[isthatastarfishinthesky]

feels like Ukraine and Palestine just got public death warrants

[koy5z]

Коли я вперше побачив тебе в школі, я зрозумів по твоїй зовнішності, що ти будеш мати найкращі оцінки в класі.

Так і сталося.

По тому, як ти посміхався і сміявся, я знав, що ти завоюєш серце кожної дівчини в школі.

Так і сталося.

Коли ми були у випускному класі, всі думали, що ти виграєш чемпіонат з тенісу для нашої школи.

І ти виграв.

Коли ти запросив мене на побачення, ти пообіцяв, що завжди кохатимеш мене.

І ти кохав.

Коли нашу церкву розбомбили, я знав, що ти будеш першим, хто допоможе відновити її, тому що твоя любов до Нього була понад усе.

Так і сталося.

Коли тебе призвали в армію, я знала, що ти віддаси все за свою країну і помреш за її свободу.

Так і сталося.

Дмитро, ти залишив мене з порожнім серцем і головою, повною спогадів.

🌻

[demonsky]

Бонжур, люди! 🇺🇦

Зробила ще один дубляж українською, але через те що скоро Хелловін , вирішила зробити дубляж Spooky Month або ж Моторошного Місяця.

Я озвучувала всіх власним голосом.

Оригінал 👇

[aroacebaker]

Today it’s the 24th of February, 2 years after the full-scale war started in Ukraine. Most know that this isn’t completely out of the blue, since Crimea was invaded 10 years ago, but let’s go back even further.

During the first world war, Ukraine was torn to pieces, literally, it was occupied by Poland, Russia, France, anarchists, and the Whites, Kyiv changed hands over five times in a year, communication inside and outside the country was almost completely cut off.

This war eventually resulted in the Soviet Union occupying Ukraine. Due to this Ukrainian people fought in the Soviet army. At the end of the war Ukraine did gain some independence, for some decisions, such as being accepted into NATO as Ukraine, rather than as the Soviet Union.

On the 21st of January 300 000 Ukrainians lined themselves up between Kyiv and Lviv, forming a human chain for independence and on the 24th of August Ukraine declared itself independent from the Soviet Union.

In 2004 there were presidential elections between Yushchenko and Yanukovich, in which Yanukovich won, however the results were falsified, and the Ukrainians protested for 2 months, this is known as the Orange revolution. The protestors won, and the elections were re-done, where Yushchenko won fair and square.

6 years later there are new elections, in which Yanukovich wins, again, fairly. He promised that he’d integrate Ukraine with Europe and join the EU. However, in 2013 when he was about to sign the agreements to improve relations with the EU, he made a complete 180 degree turn, and spoke about rebuilding relations with Russia. This, naturally made upset the Ukrainians very upset, so they protested for three months straight. They’d eat and sleep on the streets to protest every minute of every day and night, this resulted in police brutality. Every February 20th the people lost during these protests are mourned for their sacrifices for Ukraine’s freedom.

Yanukovich, unable to resist these protests fled the country, While the population was looking for a new president Russia invaded Crimea, there was a referendum, which was accepted due to the pressure and the country we are dealing with, Crimea was taken, and soon the fight over Donetsk and Luhansk begins.

Then, on the 24th of February, the full-scale invasion begins. Ukrainians have fought strongly, never ever giving up, fighting for there freedom, for the freedom of Europe, fighting for the truth and honesty Russia has yet to show. Take a minute today, after reading this far (thank you for still sticking around!) and thank the Ukrainians who have lost their lives in these battles, those who have lost their lives in merciless attacks, and those left behind.

Now, let’s listen to the experiences of one awesome Ukrainian: Living in war is terrifying, “you stop caring about food, sleep. Just staying alive, only thing that matters. We [Ukrainians are] Europeans. We’re not Russia. We died for this, and we continue to fight, every day, for this. We’re not just some people dying somewhere. We are real! We have our language, our songs, our fairytales. We exist. We matter.

Finally, a line from the Ukrainian anthem: "Душу й тіло ми положим за нашу свободу, І покажем, що ми, браття, козацького роду” Meaning “We'll lay down our souls and bodies to attain our freedom, And we'll show that we, brothers, are of the Cossack nation” Слава Українi!

[bbyejulie]

[is-this-working]

1000

[deadgoatproject]

That is what ruzzians did with my house recently.

8th of July, 2024. ruzzian terrorists bombed many buildings of Kyiv, including Okhmatdyt hospital. however, let me show you what they did to my house that very day (the hospital is kinda close to us). I survived the first wave of rockets on my floor, I also monitored the next one, but sadly did not have time to get to a safe place in the elevator. in front of my eyes, under extremely powerful explosions, the neighbour's door flew off its hinges, the ceiling crumbled (did not fall), and the entire floor was covered in a fog of dust. speaking nervously, most likely delusional, I went down (it was also dangerous to do, NEVER DO THAT, PLEASE). I picked up a neighbor’s girl (a teenager) on the floors below, whom I thought I left in the house where the door was broken (I was afraid, I аm sorry, I was afraid to come closer, I was only thinking about myself); well...everything went well: the girl managed to go down the stairs before the rocket detonated. the neighbors were scared, a few of them were crying, we had an injured child (of preschool age, her temple was covered in blood), I filmed a little of what was on the street. my hands were shaking, I could not call anyone, I just mumbled something. my relatives came as fast as they could (I live with one of them), they even dared to go up to the apartment, clean it up a bit, and then we left the house and now live in another one.

it is temporary, of course. yesterday, I went to clean the house (as you can see in the video), it is almost clean of glass and pieces of walls. we are going to fix the windows ourselves, because it will be 100 years before the state does them. however, this bittersweet memory of how I almost died at home (it was a cruise rocket...the ballistics would have buried us all alive) would never allow my already shaky mental state to recover.

I have been trying to shout at people for a long time about two things: ruzzia must be destroyed; Ukraine must receive comprehensive assistance. I don't care how many kidneys I will later sell to the USA, Britain or Germany to thank for the fact that my country will live in peace, I am ready for anything, as long as children stop dying in front of my eyes. I heard the moaning of people under the rubble, I regretted that I was living instead of the dead. we are not a third world country. we deserve to exist, and fucking ruzzians are not allowed to decide our fate.

[applefruitluver69]

me when I see those 14 year old middle schoolers from wyoming glaze russia(bonus point if they have blue hair and claim to be commies)

[tomorrowusa]

Ukrainian drones blew up a large Russian arms depot west of Moscow. The blast was large enough to have been detected by earthquake sensors.

A Ukrainian drone attack on a large Russian weapons depot caused a blast that was picked up by earthquake monitoring stations, in one of the biggest strikes on Moscow’s military arsenal since the war began. Pro-Russian military bloggers said Ukraine struck an arsenal for the storage of missiles, ammunition and explosives in Toropets, a historic town more than 300 miles north of Ukraine and about 230 miles west of Moscow. Videos and images on social media showed a huge ball of flame rising high into the night sky and detonations thundering across a lake, in a region not far from the border with Belarus. The strike was part of a broader Ukrainian drone campaign targeting Russian oil refineries, power plants, airfields and military factories, and highlights Kyiv’s enhanced long-range drone capabilities. Earthquake monitoring stations registered what sensors thought was a minor earthquake in the area.

The blast was so big that in the first couple of seconds it appears to be during daytime.

The Kyiv Independent has additional details.

Arms depot in Russia's Tver Oblast built to withstand nuclear explosion heavily damaged by Ukrainian drones

Back in 2018, the Russian Defense Ministry bragged that this facility would be prepared to withstand even a nuclear explosion. Six years later, the claim was proven to be false. According to the SBU, the arsenal stored ballistic missiles, including Iskanders, anti-aircraft missiles, artillery ammunition, and KAB guided bombs. The attack "literally wiped off the face of the earth a large warehouse of the main missile and artillery department of the Russian Defense Ministry," the SBU source said. The construction of the arsenal, controlled by the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, began in 2015 in the town of Toropets, located 480 kilometers north of Ukraine. The construction was part of a 2012 government program set to improve Russia's storage of missiles, ammunition, and explosives. According to Russia's Defense Ministry, the program, worth 90 billion rubles (nearly $980 million), called for 13 modern arms depots to be built. [ ... ] Yet the source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent that a "very powerful detonation" occurred, and the affected area was 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) wide. NASA satellites also recorded a surge in thermal activity in Tver Oblast, where the 107th arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate is located. "The arsenal seems to have been built correctly, with bunkered storage facilities that can hold up to 240 tons of ammunition each," Serhiy Zgurets, military expert and CEO of the Ukrainian media Defense Express, told the Kyiv Independent.

As Joe Biden might put it, this is "a big fucking deal". Months worth of ammunition, missiles, and other ordnance which was waiting to be used against Ukrainians has been eliminated.

In total, about 30,000 tons of ammunition were stored in the arsenal in Toropets, which could have been enough to conduct attacks for months, according to the expert. Russia most likely stored 122 mm Grad ammunition, 82 mm mines, and missiles for Buk medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, among other munitions, according to Zgurets.

Ukraine apparently destroyed 30,000 tons (i.e. 30 kilotons) of ammo. For comparison, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was the equivalent of 15 kilotons.

Ukrainians are intelligent and resourceful. They are now building drones which cannot be jammed by electronic warfare. They may have used those to get to Toropets.

And it seems a bit weird that Russia would build a gigantic arsenal just 4.51 km (less than 3 miles) from downtown Toropets – a scenic town and local administrative center.

So Ukraine has now penetrated and destroyed an impenetrable arms depot. Previously, Ukraine has stopped unstoppable Kinzhal Russian missiles. This war is unwinnable for Russia but the country continues to humiliate itself with its unmistakable military ineptitude.

[atheadax]

Україна- наша країна. Україна переможе! 🇺🇦💝

Мої сльози і моя любов увійшли в цю картину. За Україну.

[cheesehambu]

Greetings and lots of love from Germany also. I'm a bit of a coward but someone else said something so now Im doing it too. Thank you french anon for being braver than me.

Please know that you have support from here also. Every day I think about the people of Ukraine, and I think about you, and hope that happier days will come soon. I think about you every time I put on my work coat, it has a 🇺🇦 pin on it. I hope that's not silly to you. But I want to show support somehow.

I don't really know what is appropriate to say, but please know that you are all in our hearts. I wish I could give you a hug.

Fuck Russia. Слава Україні. (google translated that, sorry if it's incorrect)

I hope at least the sunrise is beautiful tomorrow. You'll see it a few hour(s) before I do. I will look at the sun and think of you.

Lots of love, and good luck with your studies, and whatever else you do.

-(poetry) anon

🫂

AWWWWWWW THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

You are also the bravest person!

You are my hero!

You and your poems always make me happy!!! You are an incredible person, I want to give you a hugs and kiss<333

Furfur conveys all my love to you~

[jasmineaxd]

So, I drew this one year ago and the war still goes on. Two years now. Thousands of people have died and millions suffer. Mothers , fathers , women , children and friends hope everyday that their soldiers and loved ones come home alive. Not only Ukrainians but also Russian families whose relatives are being forced into this war by Putin. Please help Ukraine.

Слава Україні. Героям слава.

[wistfulpoltergeist]

A Year of War

This very day... A year ago we all woke up from the sounds of bombs. Somehow, very clearly, I remember the dream I had that night. I was dreaming about huge blood-red wave that was coming on us. People rushed to run from it, yet those who was too close to the shore disappeared under this horrible water when the wave crushed on them. I was lucky because stood too far from it. This dream was prophetic. Russian army came close to my city, yet didn't manage to conquer it. And, like in my dream, our first thought was to run. But then... When I actually started to gather my things I realized. I can't run. Where would I go? Ukraine is my home. I didn't want to be one of those on the run. I didn't want to be that stranger, that foreigner, that refugee. Somehow I knew I won't find peace running. I must face it no matter what. I must fight. So I stayed. But it's not my luck that keeps me safe - it's Ukrainian army I will always be grateful for. I also want to thank everyone who responded in the very first days of the war, helped me, donated me and support me still. I am truly gratitude to all of you. You're all amazing people. I wish you all to be safe and healthy. You were with me through bombs and blackout, and all the horrors. I can't say if it will be ended soon or what comes next. But I saw a dream about the beginning of this war, I also saw a dream about the end of it. And it was good end, because the tyrant was defeated.

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Ну що, мої котики, ось ми і тут! Пам'ятаєте як все це було рік тому? Яка була паніка, страх, а потім бажання щоб Україна вистояла. Вона вистояла. І ми теж. За цей рік ми багато чого дізналися про себе. Багато чого змінилося. Ми вже точно не такі як рік тому. Хочу сказати, що пишаюся вами усіма, бо знаю, що кожен по-своєму зробив свій внесок у перемогу. Ми сильні, незламні і ми здол��ємо цього змія. Слава Україні!