#moscow winter city building

[urban-echoes]

Some Christmas vibes

[ivomagus]

[flamborger]

[megamarinette]

18.01.2024. Утро. Рассвет. Крещенский Сочельник.

[nopanamaman]

What’s up with the City?

Loredump. September 2023

What do we really know about the City the characters inhabit? Aside from it being located right next to the Zone, not much. And to be fair, the song series format doesn’t leave a lot of room for exploration.

But it’s an interesting place in its own right. Today we’ll learn a little bit about its history, life, and how being right next to the strangest area of the planet has affected the lives of its 400,000 inhabitants. Let’s dive right in.

View of the City’s edge in winter. Unexciting.

Where is the City located?

The City has no concrete location: it can be placed on almost any territory within Russia, Belarus, or Ukraine. Despite a lot of the realia and places within it being drawn from my own lifetime in Minsk, it’s not meant to represent it specifically.

The City is part of a larger totalitarian state. Housing hundreds of thousands of citizens, it used to be the largest settlement in the vicinity of ЦКР-5 (TsKR-5), a closed town declassified after its own destruction and the emergence of the Zone.

Closed city TsKR-5. In reality, the military town Knyaze-Volkonskoye

Who lives in the City?

The City is mostly inhabited by people of various slavic nationalities. The main spoken language is Russian, though there are folks who know and communicate in other slavic languages. The government treats those who do so with suspicion, so it’s not common practice.

Smoke above the City. In reality, Nekrasovka, Moscow

The majority of people living on the periphery of the town are employed in factories. A significant industrial centre before the Zone’s emergence, it remains a stable producer of vehicles, electronics, and environmental waste.

However, the proximity to the Zone and the massive research centre have attracted a lot of scientific talent and entrepreneurs to the place. The latter usually choose banditism or smuggling as their business model. Unsurprisingly, the crime rate is high.

Most of the population, adult and child alike, has had some contact with gangs. It’s not uncommon for kids to actively want to go into banditism, as it’s seen as one of the few avenues for achieving some sort of financial stability.

How is the City affected by anomalies?

The City is no stranger to bizarre meteorological, metaphysical, and otherwise logic-defying events. One day it can rain tar. Another day the air will smell a little sweet. Another day a dead pet will rise from its grave. Another day a street will distort, then go back to normal. Another day everyone born on May 11th will cough up ammonia.

Sky anomaly. In reality, a mirage above Jiangxi

There are at least a dozen anomalous events every year. It’s generally believed they occur because of precipitation, affected particles and/or artefacts travelling outside of the Zone, as well as City dwellers unknowingly ingesting anomalous particles into their bodies.

Few environmental anomalies outside the Zone are permanent or dangerous, but some do require containment. On paper, public access to any life-threatening anomaly needs to be cut off as soon as it becomes known. In practice, places deemed dangerous often get little more than a police ribbon and a couple of warning signs around them.

What are some restricted anomalous areas within the City?

The Lazurny (Azure) Pool

The most notable one in the context of PAFL itself is the pool KT inhabited during her two weeks on the run. Abandoned, but neither guarded nor fenced off, the building had all its entrances and windows welded shut and left at that.

Mosaic by the main pool

The reason for its closure was the main pool’s basin becoming what one could only call a bottomless pit. Its water cannot be drained or pumped out, and everything alive entering it disappears underneath, never to be seen again. Only pieces of plywood, garbage, sports and research equipment now float atop the surface.

The Anomalous Forest

As far as less relevant places are concerned, the workshop Ivan and Arthur work at overlooks a large restricted area just on the edge of town. It’s part of a bigger forest that fell victim to the local wind rose: a lot of clouds coming from the Zone have rained various suspicious liquids on it.

As a result, the treeline became ridiculously uneven, with some parts looking lush with greenery, some being inappropriately naked, some standing pale and sickly, and some even emanating a faint glow come nightfall. There is little official information about the dangers of local flora and fauna, but more than enough urban legends. Though, most seem to agree that eating anything from the pale zone results in awful diarrhoea.

Affected trees. In reality, the Drunken Forest in the Curonian Spit

A popular theory for why such areas are never cleared or properly restricted (aside from money pocketing) is that the facility uses them for resources.

For instance, a pine tree whose needles cause people to develop tumours can be a valuable asset for various research, medical or otherwise. Or take a small stretch of an impossibly warped landscape – that one can be a great place to test the physical attributes of anomalous objects. Would be a waste to make those things nearly impossible to access, no?

What about the artefact trade?

As was stated multiple times before, unregistered possession of anomalous artefacts is strictly against the law. The only exceptions are the anomalous souvenirs produced and sold in the Facility and shops around the city (small floating toys, balls of glowsmoke, standing needles).

Sorting of artefacts (batteries) in False Disposition

Actual artefacts are acquired and sold illegally by stalkers. They are usually traded to either gangs, police, or government officials who, in turn, resell them to faraway regions or abroad, where they go for an even higher price.

This is a large part of why crime continues to flourish in the City: the underground trade is simply too profitable for everyone involved, including those who are supposed to fight against it.

Where do the main characters live?

All of our main characters live on the edge of town, in an area that’s relatively close to the Facility located just outside of the City. The rough map of the main locations would look something like this:

Approximate map of the area. Apartment blocks sure look crazy from above

Yura and Sanya live about 15 minutes away from each other with Sanya’s house, in turn, being a 10-15 minute walk away from the Molodzyozhny club. Following the road South from Molodzyozhny will lead you to the orphanage, Ivan’s house, and his dad’s workshop overlooking the anomalous forest.

Following the same road North will have you pass by Nikita’s house and eventually lead to Olya’s – though, she lives relatively far, being around 35 minutes away from Sanya’s place by foot. Yana lives even farther, in the city centre way to the West.

Going to the East will lead you to a more forested area. That’s where the abandoned Lazurny pool is located. It’s also where buses and railroads travel through to get to the Facility located right on the border of the City and the Zone.

The estacade in False Disposition

The estacade where Sanya catches up with Yura in False Disposition and, subsequently, the meeting spot with Olya and Nikita are also located off the little map (sorry): they're to the East of the orphanage, next to the train tracks.

The road to both the Facility and the Zone has plenty of buildings on the way (industrial and otherwise), but getting to the border checkpoint by foot from, say, Yura’s house would take at least an hour and a half. It’s not somewhere you wander to by accident.

[downbad4fyodor]

Pairing: Fyodor Dostoevsky x Fem!reader word count: 363 summary: Fyodor takes you to see the Christmas lights around Moscow warnings: none Tag list: @getousrep

Want more Fics for the Holidays?

The frigid embrace of Moscow's winter air wrapped around you and Fyodor as you embarked on an enchanting adventure through the city adorned in the splendor of Christmas lights. Fyodor had orchestrated a surprise evening to immerse you in the spellbinding beauty of Moscow's festive illumination.

Under the silver glow of the moon, the streets draped in a pristine coat of snow whispered tales of winter magic. Fyodor, with his tall and commanding presence, walked by your side, his violet eyes reflecting the soft radiance of the Christmas lights that adorned the city. The night promised a magical journey, and Fyodor's gaze held a mysterious allure that heightened the sense of anticipation.

The first stop on this captivating expedition was none other than the historic Red Square. As you approached, the iconic St. Basil's Cathedral emerged like a majestic ice palace. Its domes, adorned with a breathtaking array of twinkling lights in hues of red, green, and gold, transformed the architectural marvel into a mesmerizing spectacle that rivaled the stars above. Fyodor, his breath visible in the crisp air, squeezed your hand as you both stood in silent awe, taking in the dazzling display that seemed to defy the winter night.

"It's like something out of a fairytale, isn't it?" Fyodor's voice, a low and melodic timbre, resonated with the joy of the season.

You nodded, captivated by the radiance that enveloped the historical landmark. The lights seemed to pirouette in harmony with the delicate snowflakes that floated gently from the night sky, creating an ethereal dance of winter wonder.

Fyodor, his gloved hand still entwined with yours, led you through the snow-covered cobblestones, each step revealing a new tableau of luminous beauty. The avenues of Moscow glittered with a tapestry of lights, like celestial pathways guiding you through the heart of the city's festive spirit. The meticulous arrangement of lights on trees, lampposts, and buildings painted a landscape that seemed plucked from a dream.

The journey continued to Gorky Park, where the frozen lake reflected the brilliance of the lights like a mirror. The towering trees, now adorned with a kaleidoscope of colors, stood as silent witnesses to the festive transformation. Fyodor guided you towards a charming carousel, its lights casting a warm glow against the snowy canvas. Whimsical music and the laughter of children added to the symphony of the holidays.

As you and Fyodor boarded the carousel, the world around you transformed into a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of lights and laughter. The crisp air, laced with the scents of hot cocoa and roasted chestnuts, heightened the sensory experience. Fyodor's eyes met yours, a silent promise of shared joy and the magic that lingered in the moment.

The night unfolded as a captivating exploration of Moscow's neighborhoods, each one vying to outshine the other in a dazzling display of lights. Fyodor, his arm wrapped around you protectively, shared tales of Moscow's Christmas traditions and folklore, infusing the journey with cultural richness.

The grand finale awaited at the historic Bolshoi Theatre. The monumental building, a symbol of artistic excellence, now stood adorned with a cascade of lights that accentuated its architectural grandeur. Fyodor, a mischievous glint in his eyes, led you towards the entrance. As you ascended the grand staircase, the lights dimmed, and the façade of the theatre became a canvas for an enchanting light show.

Colors danced across the intricate details of the building, synchronized with festive melodies that echoed through the night. Fyodor, his expression a mix of satisfaction and delight, watched your reactions with unabashed joy. The lights, now painting the night sky with vibrant strokes, encapsulated the very essence of the season.

As the light show reached its crescendo, Fyodor turned to you with a tender smile. "Merry Christmas, my love," he whispered, his voice a warm embrace in the winter night.

The evening, a symphony of lights and shared moments, etched itself into the tapestry of your memories. Moscow, draped in its festive best, became the canvas for a magical journey orchestrated by Fyodor, your companion in this winter fairytale. The Christmas lights, now etched in your heart, whispered tales of love and enchantment as you and Fyodor embraced the magic of the season in the heart of Moscow's winter wonderland.

[umber-cinders]

Title: 𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗���� 𝙿𝚒𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚜 - [Secret Invasion]

Pairing: Gravik x Reader

Summary: You didn't plan to be in Moscow. Once your little business trip is over, you fully intend to go back home to the States. But when the Unity Day bombings happen, you're trapped in Russia without a plan to get out. You have no one to turn to until someone familiar appears to help you out.

♡ Fic Index ♡

Warnings: 🔞Mature Content ‼🚨READ THESE TAGS🚨‼ Filthy Explicit Sexual Content, I like aliens and monsters so there be Skrull anatomy, Mentions of War and Violence. Gravik is a villain and he is unhinged. He leaves morality at the door when it comes to humans. But you're his favorite human ;) Writing this gave me so many ideas of what it could turn into as a mini series 😭

Moscow is a beautiful city in an even more beautiful country. Or at least it was during the summer. It wasn’t as if beauty left the land during the winter, it was just that the cold bit through your skin and into your bones like the teeth of a starving wolf. You really shouldn't be here. You were convinced it was a mishap on behalf of management that you were delegated as a candidate for the task.

You never felt comfortable doing international work; it always made you feel out of place—like you didn’t belong.

Even now, people were suspicious of you. You look like the foreigner that you are; dark skin, with even darker hair and eyes—obviously textured hair. They were all features that made you stand out in a country this far north. You’d been here for three weeks, attending multiple back-and-forth meetings, trying to help as much as possible. Even pharmaceutical companies as small as the one you worked for weren't always known for being scrupulous, so whatever went on in them was beyond you. Your job was to search up and provide information as needed for the active liaison between your company and the Russians.

If it wasn’t for Anna, the woman who acted as the go-between for the other side, you’d be completely at a loss of what to do. She’d been helpful and friendly from the start, and you’d become accustomed to the sight of her smiling grey eyes and the eye-catching gleam of her sandy hair as she walked you to and from places in the building. With her help, you’d assimilated smoothly.

You’re hesitant to call her a friend, but she is the closest thing you had to one in this place. None of your usual co-workers had been asked to attend this trip.

When the Unity Day bombings happened, you were still in a hotel room. The scenes playing out on the TV were horrifying, even without English captions to translate. The attack was said to have been carried out by some sort of radical American terrorist group. However, the fact that Nicholas Fury’s face kept flashing across the screen as a person of interest was all it took to make your mind race with unanswered questions. It had been a long time since you’d seen Nick Fury; nearly a decade.

Why was he here?

♡ ︎ 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝙾𝚗 𝙰𝚘𝟹 ♡ ︎

[theniftycat]

Chapter 1 of my original novel

Straight from the presses!

1,5k words.

Yakutsk is a city that's too lazy to pursue you. It's defined by its winter that lasts from October to April, the coldest winter that you can experience while living in a settlement called "a city". Yakutsk won't swallow you whole, it has nothing to entice you with. All it does is gradually chip away at your humanity, slowly freezing you whole, making sure that one day you will just lie down in the snow and give yourself away.

All people can do in Yakutsk is build walls. Add more and more layers, separate themselves from the outside world with stones and furs. They decorate their shelters, create spaces that feel alive even when nothing outside can survive. Each home is like an airtight cell decorated with fairy lights and fake flowers.

But if the walls aren't strong enough, the cold will get to you. A broken gas heater will kill you. A feeling of unease in winter will freeze you from the inside.

Our story isn't about Yakutsk in winter, it's about avoiding it.

***

Comfortable. That's what her life was. She had a small apartment with one bedroom, a kitchen, and a living room that she turned into a library full of books in Russian and English, and DVDs in the same languages.

It was the library where she spent most of her days now. Both her work and her hobbies took their places in it. She didn't mind, she even preferred working at home, it was easy to get used to. She wasn't looking forward to needing to go outside daily once the quarantine got lifted, dirty roads with uneven pavements and cold dry air didn't entice her. However, she missed seeing her students in the flesh, it was hard reading lectures via zoom and even giving them exams online. Them possibly cheating didn't bother her much, but she thought that a lot was missed because she couldn't see their full emotions and they couldn't see hers.

Being an English literature university professor in 2020 was both a challenge and a relief for her.

Now it was June and she was used to working from home. She wished she could go for a walk, the weather was amazing as it usually was in early June, but she didn't want to risk running into someone she knew, so she only went out to visit a nearby shop or the post office where she received new books every month. She'd order them after getting her salary. Not too many books these days, their prices grew each year and her salary didn't.

Marfa Alekseyevna, as most people called her, was 35. She had short black hair and wore black rimmed glasses. Her clothes were usually black or dark, she only wore skirts when she was required to. People found her unapproachable and she liked it that way. The only connections she fostered were with her favourite authors, mostly dead, and with her colleagues from various universities who she spoke to on Facebook and Twitter.

She was checking everything before tomorrow's exam when she heard her doorbell ring. Leaving her work and an unfinished cup of tea with cinnamon, she rushed towards the door and put on a mask.

"Who's there?" she asked without sounding very friendly.

"Hi! Marfa, it's me, Luka!" the voice from behind the door answered.

"Luka? Aren't you in Moscow?"

"Obviously, not! Open the door already!"

She opened the door. Her younger brother, a 27 year old tall Yakut man, was standing behind it, but he wasn't alone. Next to him was standing a young woman, seemingly Russian, with light hair and sad eyes that she was trying to hide behind a polite smile. She wasn't tall, there was nothing very special about her. Just a girl. And a guy next to her. Almost a perfect couple in how unremarkable they were.

"This is Vera, my fiancee! Vera, meet Marfa, one of my favourite people in the world! Almost a favourite sister of mine!" introduced them Luka in his usual tongue-in-cheek manner.

Vera nodded with an even politer smile and said:

"Nice to meet you."

Marfa wasn't smiling, she was doing her best not to frown.

"Likewise. Sorry, what? What do you mean, fiancee?"

"Didn't you study linguistics in university?" retorted Luka.

"This isn't funny. What do you think you're doing showing up here, without telling me you'd come, bringing a fiancee you never even told me about? I thought you were in Moscow! Why aren't you two even wearing masks?"

"Marfa! Let us in already!" Luka went inside and took Vera with him. "Won't you even give us some tea? I haven't seen you in ages!" he pulled Marfa towards him and hugged her.

"I didn't want to take off my mask, but--" Vera started.

"Look, we're not gonna give you covid, okay?"

Marfa sighed. She was glad to see Luka and wanted to know what it all meant, but talking on the threshold wasn't a good idea.

"Okay. Put on these slippers and go wash your hands. I'll put a kettle on."

Five minutes later Luka brought an office chair to the kitchen and sat down beside Vera. The kitchen only had two chairs, everything in the apartment screamed that guests weren't frequent here.

Marfa poured them all some tea and sat down at her normal place, the one that had a place-mat and condiments that were lined in front of it.

"So, what is going on?" she asked.

"We're getting married in August, so we came here, to do it with the family present, as it should be, and I'm going to live with our parents, but Vera has nowhere to stay, could you please let her stay here?"

"Excuse me? What?"

"I'd take her with me, but I need to prepare them to meet her, and she needs to self isolate for a couple of weeks, and you have a plenty of space, so it works!"

"Are you out of your mind? Do parents know about it? And what do you mean--"

"I told them I was coming home for summer, yeah! I missed our house, it's so nice in the summer. But I told you, I need to prepare them. It will take some time."

"Okay, Luka, I see that you're out of your mind. You're mad. What even is happening? Why are you here?"

"I told you! Vera will live with you for a couple of weeks!"

"Are there no hotels in Yakutsk? Was there a projectile meteor strike while I wasn't looking?"

"Are you mad this time? There's a quarantine! Living in a hotel is bloody miserable! She wouldn't be able to go outside and stuff! Besides, I'm trying to save money for the wedding, I don't wanna splurge thousands on a hotel. I mean, have you seen the prices for all-inclusive?"

"Does my home look like an all-inclusive hotel?"

"No, but I'd pay you! So, surely, you could arrange some bed and breakfast here. How does a thousand per day sound?"

Marfa thought for a second.

"Alright. And how long will she be here?"

"A couple of weeks at least. Maybe a bit more. Depends on how our parents will take it."

"Luka… I know that you're the youngest one. But you should at least try thinking sometimes. This isn't how things are done." Marfa shook her head. "Vera. Are you okay with that?"

Vera, who was looking at her cup and slowly eating a dry cookie, flinched a bit.

"Me? Yes, yes, it's absolutely fine by me."

"But you don't even know me, are you okay with living with me for at least two weeks?"

"Well, knowing your brother, I think we'll get on just fine!" her smile was almost convincingly hopeful.

"I… Hm… Luka, will you still pay me if she runs away?"

"Oh, she won't!" Luka laughed.

"I won't run away!" Vera also laughed.

"Don't you scare her away, alright, Marfa?" Luka said wagging his finger.

"I don't think it will be necessary…" said Marfa thinking that whatever their relationship was, it would never work. She found Vera more and more suspicious because of how subdued her reactions to everything were.

"I won't run away," repeated Vera without any particular emotion.

"Okay, will you send me a selfie from here with a news site front-page every morning?" asked Luka and kissed her on the cheek. He tried to pass it off as a joke, but something was off.

"I will!"

"And that's when I'll send you another crisp one, deal, Marfa?"

"I wish I was dealing with adults…" Marfa couldn't find a reason to refuse them. They already broke her quarantine and a thousand a day sounded very well. Maybe she'd have a chance to get to know Vera better and see if their relationship really was something substantial. If it wasn't, well, there was a chance to end the entire charade. "Okay. Deal."

"I'll go fetch her bags and some groceries I got for you two!" said Luka while shaking Marfa's hand, and then he left.

-----------------------------------------------

I'll be using British and American words interchangeably, because I'm neither.

Tagging people who showed interest:

@general-sleepy

@icryyoumercy

@gowan43

@simuran

@skyborneveggie

@andorianimpostor

@mzannthropik

@jackymedan

@aziraphalesangel

If you want to be tagged in the next chapter, interact with this post in any way!

[tomorrowusa]

Russia, a fossil fuel superpower, is experiencing significant heating issues this winter.

Thousands of Russians have been affected by heating systems failing across the country, including Moscow and its outskirts, the Moscow Oblast, as they face one of the harshest winters in decades. The wave of breakdowns started in December and shows no sign of stopping. This week, at least 16 people suffered burns in the city of Nizhny Novgorod when a large-bore heating pipe exploded, spouting boiling water into the street. The pipe failure also left more than 3,000 people without heat, according to a local news channel on Telegram. [ ... ] The most severe breakdown occurred in Klimovsk, a district of the city of Podolsk in Moscow Oblast, just 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the capital. On January 4, the temperature dropped to -34 Celsius (-29.2 Fahrenheit) — the coldest spell for the area in at least 40 years. On the same day, a Klimovsk heating plant failed. Some 20,000 people were left without heat in the district of 50,000 people. Thousands of them remained cut off from the heating grid for several days. Other cities and towns in the region also experienced multi-day heating failures during the extremely cold weather, with residents of the city of Elektrostal lighting bonfires in front of their apartment buildings as a sign of protest.

Putin has his priorities. The Brezhnev-era infrastructure in Russia is falling apart but he is still diverting resources to his 3-day 696-day "special operation" in Ukraine.

Experts warned that the heating network in Russia is poorly maintained and outdated — especially in the areas that have massively increased their population density since the Soviet times. Even now, some parts of the country still use decades-old steel pipes, well past their projected 25-year lifetime, according to Russia's The Bell outlet. Official figures cited by The Bell indicate that some 3% of the heating, water and sanitation network is labeled as being in a state of "emergency" every year. Still, only 1%-2% are being modernized, leading to thousands of breakdowns.

Putin gambled about who would "suffer" – and he lost.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, state propagandists issued dire warnings over EU sanctions on gas imports, claiming Europe would "freeze" without access to Russian gas for its heat. Nearly two years into the war, however, heating in Europe appears stable while Russian officials scramble to respond to the heating crisis. This contrast is pointed out with glee by Putin critics and Russian-speaking users from war-torn Ukraine. "They decided to freeze out Europe, but that didn't work. Then they decided to freeze their own to intimidate others," a YouTube user commented under a video reporting on the breakdowns.

Europe had already been increasing the amount of energy it gets from renewable sources. And after Putin's illegal invasion began, many European countries greatly decreased the amount of natural gas they import from Russia. Being less reliant on Russian energy has made Europe more independent. It's never a good idea to become dependent on neighboring dictators.

This report on people freezing in Russia is from UATV in Ukraine. You'd never get anything this candid about the Russian heating crisis on Russian state media.

Dictator Putin's invasion of Ukraine has only spotlighted Russia's shoddy army, its decaying infrastructure, its endless corruption, and its police state repression. If Putin was trying to demonstrate what a great world power Russia is, his invasion has only proven the opposite.

[ukrainenews]

Daily Wrap Up April 13-17, 2023

Under the cut:

Poland has reached an agreement on restarting transit of Ukrainian grains through its territory as of Friday, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said on Tuesday, adding transits would be monitored and sealed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited troops in the small eastern city of Avdiivka on Tuesday, thanked them for their service and was briefed by commanders on the battlefield situation, his office said.

Germany has delivered a Patriot air defense system and missiles for it to Ukraine, according to the German government’s weekly update. In addition, Berlin has reportedly handed over 16 Zetros trucks and two border protection vehicles.

Russia shelled the village of Richky in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast on April 18, killing an 83-year-old woman, Prosecutor General’s Office reported.

Poland has reached an agreement on restarting transit of Ukrainian grains through its territory as of Friday, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said on Tuesday, adding transits would be monitored and sealed.

Poland's Development Minister Waldemar Buda added a ban on imports of Ukrainian food products to Poland would remain in place.

Pressure has been mounting on Brussels to work out a European Union-wide solution after Warsaw and Budapest announced bans on some imports from Ukraine at the weekend, with other countries in eastern Europe saying they are also considering action.

Farmers say cheap imports from Ukraine, which has faced difficulties exporting by sea due to Russia's invasion, have lowered prices and reduced their sales.

In Poland, the issue has created a problem in an election year for the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party that relies on rural areas for much of its support.

Ukraine had said its priority was to reopen transit through Poland.

"We managed to create such mechanisms that will ensure that not a single ton of grain will remain in Poland," Telus told journalists after two days of talks in Warsaw.

-via Reuters

~ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited troops in the small eastern city of Avdiivka on Tuesday, thanked them for their service and was briefed by commanders on the battlefield situation, his office said.

Avdiivka has been one of the main targets of a Russian winter offensive which was intended to reinvigorate Moscow's full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022, but has made only small territorial advances in the east.

Video footage released by Zelenskiy's office showed him addressing troops in combat gear and handing them awards in what appeared to be a large industrial warehouse with sandbags packed against at least one of the high walls.

"I have the honour to be here today, to thank you for your service, for defending our land, Ukraine, our families," he said. "I wish you only victory - this is what I wish for every Ukrainian, this is what is very important to all of us."

Zelenskiy also visited a hospital where he met wounded soldiers and handed out awards.

The video footage also showed heavily damaged high-rise residential buildings in Avdiivka, where officials say about 1,800 civilians remain.

Zelenskiy has visited troops several times in recent weeks before what is widely expected to be a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin also met troops this week, during visits on Monday to Russian-occupied parts of the Kherson and Luhansk regions.

Zelenskiy was accompanied in Avdiivka by Andriy Yermak, the head of his office, who said Ukrainian troops were preventing Russia encircling the city.

He said fierce battles were under way elsewhere in the region, and that "successful defence" was key in these places.

"Our army has already broken the enemy's plans to break through the (Ukrainian) defences and advance in the east," Yermak said on the Telegram messaging app.

-via Reuters

~

Germany has delivered a Patriot air defense system and missiles for it to Ukraine, according to the German government’s weekly update.

In addition, Berlin has reportedly handed over 16 Zetros trucks and two border protection vehicles.

Germany promised to provide Ukraine with a Patriot battery in January following Washington’s commitment to send the American-made system. The Netherlands later joined the efforts.

The Patriot system is the most advanced air defense weapon in the U.S. arsenal that Kyiv has been long pleading for. One Patriot battery has four to eight launchers designed for four missiles each.

Patriots aim to significantly improve the defense of Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure against regular Russian missile attacks.

Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder said on March 30 that 65 Ukrainian soldiers had completed training on Patriot systems at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and returned to Europe.

-via Kyiv Independent

~

Russia shelled the village of Richky in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast on April 18, killing an 83-year-old woman, Prosecutor General’s Office reported.

The Russian artillery troops fired at the village from Russia’s territory, hitting the woman’s house, according to the report.

Sumy Oblast is located at Ukraine’s northeastern border with Russia. It has been the target of daily Russian attacks across the border since parts of the oblast were liberated from Russian control in early April 2022.

On the same day, Russian forces also struck Donetsk Oblast’s town of Ukrainsk, injuring at least eight civilians, said Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

The Russian shelling of Ukrainsk damaged three high-rises and 18 pavilions of a local market, according to the oblast governor.

“Not a day goes by without Russian war crimes in the Donetsk region,” added Kyrylenko.

-via Kyiv Independent

[amielbjacobs]

Progress on 'A Traitor in Love'

It was late at night on the Moscow Metro, full of tired men and women waiting for their stops. A middle-aged woman in the corner seat was asleep next to her daughter, who gazed with weary eyes at the newspaper in her hands. A group of men, lightly drunk, was laughing and talking a little too loudly as they clung to the subway bars. 

A slim Central Asian man with a worn round face stood by the doors, gazing out the windows at the tunnel walls flashing by in a hypnotic blur of concrete. His name was Oktyabr Kerimuly Ismailov. 

Moscow had never felt quite real to him. He had come here a decade ago to live with his cousin after being released from prison; before that, he had lived in the middle of nowhere. Moscow felt as unreal as the Gulag, two dream-places that could not possibly coexist in the same world. Moscow was a flood of life, where people ate and fucked and argued about petty things, where people went where they wished in big flocks or on their own, where you could fly on a train from one side of the vast city to the other in under an hour. And yet Ismailov had come here from the Gulag, and so had others.The Metro, too, had been built by Gulag laborers. This world could not exist without that one. 

He pulled back the sleeve of his jacket, surreptitiously, to check his watch. It was an expensive, foreign piece, with a big shiny band of metal links and an English brand name written on the face. It wasn’t the kind of thing it was wise to wear out and about on the Metro, but it was a gift from his lover Winston, who did not understand such things. 

10 PM. Perhaps Winston would still be awake when Ismailov got back; reading, if it had been a good day, or drinking, if not. Ismailov always worried when he left Winston alone. He had been doing better, these last few months - drinking less, smiling more. But it was hard to believe in Winston’s stability; there was a fragility to the man, like a British flower that could not survive the harsh Russian winters. 

The Metro car came to the Dzerzhinskaya stop. Ismailov climbed out of the depths of the earth. As he walked, he glanced up at the squat shadow of the KGB headquarters - the Lubyanka, with its split gray-and-gold facade. The joke went that it was the tallest city in Moscow - because you could see Siberia from its basement. Winston regarded it as his place of work, although he was only occasionally to be found there. 

Ismailov stopped at the white-and-brown pre-revolutionary building that housed Glasby’s flat and pulled out his keys. There was a light on in the living room, and Ismailov smiled to himself. Perhaps Winston had waited up for him. 

He turned the key, pushed the door open - and started screaming.

[urban-echoes]

When there is nothing in the world but snow trees and sky.

[darkmaga-returns]

Russia Retaliates For ATACMS Strike - Improves Trolling

Those who were waiting for another Oreshnik strike, in response to the U.S. ATACMS attack on a strategic air plane factory in the Russian city of Taganrog, will be disappointed by this:

Statement by Russian Defence Ministry

On 11 December 2024, from the from the territory of Ukraine the AFU delivered a strike by six U.S.-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles at the military airfield near Taganrog. In response to the use of U.S.-made long-range weapons, the Russian Armed Forces delivered mass strikes by high-precision air- and sea-based weapons and attack drones at Ukrainian fuel and power infrastructure facilities ensuring operation of the defence industry. The goal of the strike has been achieved. All the targets have been engaged.

The 'response' has been successful. There is then no additional need to follow up with another Oreshnik strike.

Ukraine has confirmed the success of the strike:

Russia deals 'massive blow' to Ukraine's thermal power plants, energy company says

Russia targeted DTEK's thermal power plants during a mass aerial attack on Dec. 13, damaging their equipment, the company said in a statement. Moscow's forces launched around 90 missiles and 200 drones in one of its largest mass attacks on Ukraine's power grid as the winter is setting in. "DTEK thermal power plants were attacked. According to preliminary data, there were no casualties," the company said. The plants' equipment was "seriously damaged," with energy sector employees already working on repairs.

Interestingly the strikes hit mostly in west-Ukraine where electricity and gas from the EU is imported into Ukraine (machine translation):

There is serious damage. According to our source on the energy market, the Burshtyn and Prydniprovska TPPs were damaged (which DTEK indirectly confirmed by reporting equipment damage at one of its thermal power plants), key substations in Odessa, Dnipropetrovsk, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and other regions, and power lines throughout the country. Ukrenergo has already announced tougher light restrictions. According to the current situation, there are currently three out of six outage queues. "This means that half the country is without electricity," says energy market expert Oleg Popenko. In Odessa, additional restrictions were introduced. "The situation there is very serious, people will sit for some time without electricity for 7-11 hours," Popenko said. But the risks have increased not only in electricity, but also in gas and heating, as the Russian Federation has again hit the gas infrastructure. "If there are interruptions in gas supply, the situation with electricity (since TPP and CHPP operate on gas) and heating will sharply worsen. At minus 10 degrees, which meteorologists promise us for a day, the average panel can stand without heating for 36-40 hours, then the system will need to be completely repaired. That is, high-rise buildings can become uninhabitable," says Popenko.

Ukraine had to lower the output of 5 of its 9 nuclear power plants as some relevant substations got it. The unified electricity system of the country is falling apart into islands of generation and consumption. Areas with little generation capacity and high consumption (Odessa) will have the biggest problems.

[adrl-pt]

Expansion of a Military Biolab Near Moscow. March Against Putin and the War. Winter Arrives in Ukraine

You are watching news from the weekly rally at the Russian Embassy in Lisbon. Today is November 2, 2:30 PM.

On October 25, The Washington Post released satellite images of a military research site near Moscow, where 10 new buildings are under construction to expand the Soviet-era biolab Sergiev Posad-6. In an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, the laboratory’s military commander, Sergei Borisevich, described the facility as "the cornerstone of the country's biological defense system." The 48th Central Research Institute, which operates out of Sergiev Posad, has been linked to chemical weapons development, notably those used in the assassination attempts on Alexei Navalny and the Skripals. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/interactive/2024/russia-biological-chemical-weapons-laboratory-expansion/

And it may also be related to the two poisonings of Vladimir Kara-Murza. https://ru.bellingcat.com/novosti/russia/2021/03/20/vladimir-kara-murza-tailed-by-members-of-fsb-squad-prior-to-suspected-poisonings-ru/

On October 30, recently exchanged opposition figures Vladimir Kara-Murza, Ilya Yashin, and Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Alexei Navalny, announced a solidarity march for November 17. Their demands: remove Putin from power and try him as a war criminal, withdraw troops from Ukraine, and release political prisoners. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQPlIf8rRKM

The cover of the announcement video includes Russian flags, which sparked considerable debate. Vladimir Kara-Murza explained to Dozhd TV that the march references the anti-war march in Moscow on September 21, 2014, organized by Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated a few months later. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3vDyhdwi3w

At Associação de russos livres, we believe that although the Russian tricolor was a revolutionary symbol in the 90s, it has now become a symbol of conquest and war crimes. For this reason, it is banned at our actions. Bring our symbol of resistance to war and Putinism: the white-blue-white flag.

We, along with other Russian anti-war activists in the Free Russians Global community, are already planning actions in our cities. Expect an announcement in Lisbon as well. https://freerussians.global/

Yesterday, it was reported that after a year under house arrest, Belarusian filmmaker and activist Andrei Gnyot has been released and has left Serbia. https://www.facebook.com/andrew.gnyot/posts/pfbid025UVtkWTsFpZovZr6L4A5G2e2FjpqRGazsSRtKasYqzRkraAx1M3ryxxXfGAw5Cvcl

On October 21, Russian anti-war activist Vladislav Arinichev was released from prison in Croatia, though his trials are still ahead, and he continues to need support. https://www.facebook.com/CentarzaMirovneStudije/posts/pfbid03ak6W3rXgH5Z6C8z1wC7iftLxPazKsaMEz2s6zoopT4inMmgNEnsLWPie3wcGLK4l

On October 16, Serbia ordered Anton Bobryshev, a Russian with an anti-war position, to leave the country within a month after his residency permit renewal was denied. https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/rusija-srbija-bezbednosni-rizik/33161057.html

On October 27, Le Monde reported that, using publicly available data shared by users of the Strava sports app, security personnel for top officials of several countries could be identified. Pay attention to your security: just because you can share certain information doesn’t mean you should. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/pixels/article/2024/10/27/strava-the-exercise-app-filled-with-security-holes_6730709_13.html

Meteorologist Natalka Didenko reported on Friday that a cold atmospheric front has reached Ukraine. On November 4, several regions are expected to experience wet snow and strong winds. https://www.facebook.com/tala.didenko/posts/pfbid028KWpjWEEBinTc2U3LCE5PNTCzMmGbuRp3nE5tvEKU6n5GecdwPmoQrxUPW51zcb2l

Therefore, let’s quickly close the fundraiser for portable power stations, organized alongside other Russian anti-war associations, to support Ukrainian hospitals and schools. https://antiwarcommittee.info/en/energy-for-life/

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Schedule of our activities, 11 social networks in 3 languages and much more on our website: https://adrl.pt/en

[barbarossa503]

I have written this book in Arabic and recently translated part of it into English. I hope there are no mistakes in my translation and that the idea has been conveyed. Enjoy your reading! The snow was falling heavily on Moscow, and the wind howled through the city as if reminding everyone that winter would spare no one. In the heart of that harsh city, Alexei walked through the dark streets, heading toward one of the secret underground dens where gambling took place, far from the authorities' eyes. His steps were weighed down by burdens, as if he carried a mountain on his shoulders. Around him, nothing moved except the sound of the wind and cold breaths.

When he reached the basement, he opened the door silently and found a group of men sitting around a gambling table. Their faces were grim, their eyes fixed on the cards in their hands, and the smell of smoke filled the room. Alexei sat among them as if he had known them for a long time, but he had always been a stranger. He sat down, placed his money on the table, and began to watch the game.

The cards were dealt, and everything seemed to slow down in his mind. This was his world—the moment when he forgot everything: work, the factory, the feeling of failure. In those moments, he only thought about winning. But when he looked up, he saw Olga standing on the other side of the room, silently watching him.

He didn’t know how she had gotten there, but he felt her presence heavy, reminding him of what he was trying to escape from. The game was moving quickly, but he was distracted, and when he revealed his cards, he lost. The men around him laughed as he threw the remaining money on the table. He knew this night would be like the others—a loss that would lead to another loss.

After the game, Alexei stepped out into the bitter cold, trying to breathe in the fresh air, but he felt a heaviness in his chest. Suddenly, Olga approached him. "How long?" she asked, looking straight into his eyes. He didn’t answer, only glanced away before walking off without a word.

Cold nights in Moscow know no mercy, and with them, Alexei’s life seemed to follow a single path, as if his fate had been written on a road full of darkness. He walked through the empty streets after his encounter with Olga, her words still echoing in his mind. "How long?" That simple sentence carried so many meanings, but it stirred nothing visible in him. Alexei was cold, showing no emotion on his face, as if everything happening around him meant nothing.

When he returned to his small apartment in one of Moscow's old buildings, he sat in the corner of the room, lit a single lamp, and stared silently at the wall. The place was devoid of any signs of life. No pictures, no keepsakes—just an old bed and a wooden table in the middle of the room. Everything was silent, even him.

He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it slowly, and took a deep drag. The cigarette smoke rose in the room like his heavy breaths, but his eyes were empty, staring at nothing. Alexei was living two lives: one in public, as a simple factory worker, and another in secret, filled with gambling and fighting. He felt no belonging to either.

But deep inside, he knew he was not just another man. He carried something deeper than that. Alexei wasn’t chasing wealth or glory; he was searching for something bigger, something he couldn’t yet understand. He knew something was wrong with his life, but he wasn’t ready to deal with it.

The next morning, he returned to the factory. The sound of the machines was deafening, and his coworkers were absorbed in their routine tasks. As for him, he moved coldly, doing his job without acknowledging anyone. No one knew anything real about him, not even those who thought of him as a friend. He was always distant, surrounded by a wall of mystery.

In an unexpected moment, his supervisor approached him—a short man with a perpetually angry face. "Alexei, we need you in the next strength competition. I heard you’re good at fighting," the man said sharply.

Alexei nodded without a word. Fighting was just another game to him, but this time it was different. The competition was part of a secret program, and it wasn’t just about physical strength; it was governed by obscure rules.

The next day, when the factory bell rang to signal the end of the shift, Alexei stood quietly as usual, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon as if time itself didn’t matter to him. His coworkers hurried out of the factory, eager for rest after a long day, but he moved slowly toward the city's dark corners.

As he made his way to the competition, the one his supervisor had called him to, paradoxes filled his mind. How could a man as emotionless as Alexei engage in physical combat? And how could a cold-hearted man feel any desire for victory? Everything seemed to him as if he was playing a role in a play he didn’t understand.

He arrived at the designated place—another dark basement where the secret competitions were held. Its walls were cracked, and the dim lights barely illuminated the faces of the participants. The crowd was filled with men who fought fiercely for money and recognition, but Alexei was different. He wasn’t looking for either.

When it was his turn to fight, he slowly removed his shirt, bare-chested, and stepped toward the ring. His opponent was a massive man with bulging muscles, but Alexei showed no hesitation. Those moments when he stood across from his opponent reflected his deepest emotions: repressed anger, indifference, and the desire to escape from everything.

The fight began. Every punch seemed to echo Alexei’s shattered life. He wasn’t fighting the man in front of him; he was fighting his reality, his chains, all those nights spent alone, and every loss he had suffered in gambling and in life. He was fighting that moment when Olga asked him, "How long?"

And yet, Alexei’s face remained expressionless. Every punch he took or threw did not stir him. He was silent, as if only his body was fighting while his soul watched from elsewhere.

As time passed, the crowd around the ring grew. Everyone watched in stunned silence. Alexei wasn’t fighting to win, nor was he fighting to lose. He was fighting simply because he knew nothing else. And suddenly, he delivered a final blow to his opponent, who collapsed to the ground.

The place fell quiet. The supervisor approached Alexei, but Alexei didn’t turn toward him. Instead, he walked out of the ring without exchanging a word with anyone. He left everyone in confusion, even Olga, who had been watching from afar.

In that moment, it seemed everything in Alexei’s life was a paradox: a fighter with no desire to fight, a gambler with no urge to win, and a man fleeing from everyone but unable to escape himself.

[speedyposts]

Russia says dozens killed in Ukraine shelling of bakery in Lysychansk

Russia says at least 28 people have been killed after Ukrainian forces shelled a bakery in the city of Lysychansk in the occupied eastern region of Luhansk, with the Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief saying at least one child was among the deceased.

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Sunday that “dozens of civilians” were inside the building when Ukraine hit it using the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

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The Emergencies Ministry had released a video late on Saturday of first responders finding dead bodies and taking away bloodied people on stretchers out of the ruins of the one-storey building that appeared to be destroyed.

The building appeared to have housed a restaurant named Adriatic, which local authorities said was known to offer fresh bread during the weekends, attracting many Russians.

Foreign Ministry’s Zakharova also said Moscow expects “quick and unconditional condemnation” from international organisations.

Ukraine has not officially commented on the incident.

Almost two years into the war, the front in eastern Ukraine where Luhansk is located has barely moved in months, but battles continue to rage, with both sides launching deadly attacks during the winter.

Lysychansk had a population of about 110,000 before Moscow’s offensive. The city fell to Russian forces after a deadly battle in 2022.

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