Not a childish face of war

© Maks Levin

“Russian ship go f**k yourself!” Today this phrase became part of the DNA of all the free people in the world. It turned out that a regular border guard of Ukrainian Zmeiniy island can dismiss a Russian warship without further ado! And with it the whole Russian army, which was named 3rd biggest in the world, as well as Putin who blackmailed the world with his army for many years.

The army which on February 24th at 4 am was sent by him to bomb Ukraine, hoping for a swift blitzkrieg and the fall of the legitimately elected Ukrainian government. When suddenly it became clear that there will not be a blitzkrieg and the whole world saw the real face of his praised Russian army. A treacherous army although disoriented, badly motivated and consisting of lost, young draftees or tired half-bums wearing old uniforms, battered by alcohol and poor living conditions.

Russian propaganda had lied on all its TV channels about Ukrainians torturing Russian speakers, filled its political shows with fakes about “Benderovtsy and fascists” for so many years,  that, finally, it believed its own lies and expected Ukrainians to meet their army with flowers.

It’s no secret that Russian soldiers did not get their flowers (to put it lightly). What they did get was a heroic resistance of the WHOLE Ukrainian nation, Ukrainian army and territorial defense. In each city and village, in every direction the Russian army is being obliterated with every means available. Locals scream at them to get out of there, call them occupants (among other names), throw Molotov cocktails at them or even try to stop them with bare hands.

Ukrainian army is displaying miracles of bravery and heroism. While we see videos and photos of burning tanks, shot down planes, hundreds and thousands of prisoners of war and killed Russian soldiers, Russian TV channels continue to state that Russian army suffered “no losses”. At a time when Ukrainian authorities are officially contacting the Red cross and UN to help them transport the bodies of Russian kids sent to die in Ukraine, nobody in Russia is waiting for them or is afraid to admit it.

In just 3 days (February 24-26) Russia lost 4300 soldiers, 27 planes, 26 helicopters, 146 tanks, 706 armoured vehicles, one “BUK” air defence system, 4 ”Grad” launchers, 60 cisterns and 2 motor boats. And hundreds of Russian prisoners of war all tell the same “fairytale” of how “they were going to the military exercise and knew nothing”.

A website was created for Russians to find their dead, wounded and imprisoned men:

Website – Ищи Своих

Telegram Channel – Ищи Своих 

It’s unclear how can a country of hundreds of millions of people believe in its own lies? How can the mothers of thousands of Russian soldiers and officers keep their silence during all these days? How could one listen to this blathering and be proud that a small, crazy midget threatens the whole world with nuclear war in the 21st century?

We all constantly heard the stories of the “great” Russian army, culture and spirituality, but after February 24th all the world sees are barbarians and cowards who shoot residential buildings and hospitals, looters whose country gave them provisions and fuel enough for just 2 days. We see Russian soldiers changing into Ukrainian uniforms and attack civilians, using criminals who put placemarks onto gas pipes and residential homes. This image of Russia can no longer be erased. Russia wanted everyone to fear its enormous nuclear monster but, after attacking Ukraine, it turned out that even a simple border guard is not afraid of it. Instead, everyone hates Russia. And this is only the beginning. The beginning of Russia’s end.


Olesya Drashkaba, exclusively for the Center of civil resistance – Res Publica.