WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia

[rgray222]

Lev Shlosberg, a prominent leader of Russia's anti-war party, was registered to run in the upcoming September elections. The anti-war movement in Russia has been gaining significant momentum, with Russians becoming increasingly vocal over the past few months, advocating for an end to the war. This is clearly an effort to stop that momentum.


Russia's prominent anti-war politician jailed for 11 years


Lev Shlosberg said he was punished for his political position

Russia's prominent anti-war politician Lev Shlosberg has been sentenced to 11 years and one month in a penal colony for "discrediting" the country's armed forces and "spreading false information" about them.

Shlosberg, 63, condemned the verdict by a court in the city of Pskov, saying its only task was to "punish a person for his political, public and civil position".

His liberal political party Yabloko, which he is deputy head of, said it would appeal.

The ruling came just minutes before Russia's Supreme Court rejected Yabloko's appeal against a ban on it taking part in September's parliamentary elections.

Yabloko was the only registered party to oppose Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in 2022.

Since the start of the invasion, any remaining opposition in Russia to President Vladimir Putin - who has been in power for nearly 27 years - has been crushed.

Public shows of dissent have been suppressed by wartime censorship laws and can trigger hefty fines or long prison sentences.

The court in Pskov, north-western Russia, delivered its verdict on Monday.

It found Shlosberg guilty of "public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation".

The prosecution had demanded 12 years and one month in jail. The criminal charges were brought following Shlosberg's comments published on social media.

In his closing speech, Shlosberg again rejected all the charges, describing the trial as "an imitation of an investigation" in order to "achieve an obviously illegal goal", according to a transcript published by the Novaya Gazeta newspaper.

The opposition politician also repeated his call for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war and the start of a "political dialogue".

He was repeatedly interrupted by the presiding judge.

Yabloko was struck off the ballots earlier this month over accusations that the party publicly supports the "international LGBT movement", which Russia's Supreme Court designates as extremist.

A lawsuit brought forward by pro-Kremlin nationalist party Rodina also argued that Yabloko was guilty of copyright infringement.

Yabloko rejects all the accusations.

All 10 other parties taking part in the 18-20 September election support the war in Ukraine.

The latest ratings of the ruling United Russia slipped to 32.1% earlier this month - the lowest figure since May, according to Russia's state-owned pollster VCIOM.

Still, the Kremlin is widely believed to have the resources to deliver the outcome it wants at the election.

Independent election watchdogs have been deprived of much of their ability to monitor and challenge the process.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4kjnle2neo

[ExomatrixTV]

• Rick Sanchez Reveals What U.S. Media Are NOT ALLOWED To Say!:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=fedryLNpkRE

TV reporter Rick Sanchez recently reflected on his experience at CNN, Fox News, and NBC, claiming that journalists who criticize Israel or express sympathetic views toward Iran become instantly unemployable within U.S. corporate media. He argues that the rise of podcasts and alternative media has created more space for journalists and commentators to discuss geopolitical issues outside traditional media constraints. Jimmy and Americans’ Comedian Kurt Metzger contrast the claimed editorial limitations of U.S. corporate media with Sanchez’s decision to work from Russia, while Jimmy endorses his assessment of the media environment. The discussion ultimately focuses on press freedom, censorship, alternative media, Israel-related coverage, and the perceived influence of geopolitical interests on American journalism.

source

[Ravenlocke]

dejanira

Translated from Spanish
🚨💥MASSIVE PROTESTS ROCK KYIV 🇺🇦

The people are flooding the streets demanding an IMMEDIATE END to the Zelensky regime!

Von der Leyen's EU doesn't want you to see this SHARE everywhere... 🔥

https://x.com/dejanirasilveir/status...65257035006393

Diana Panchenko 🇺🇦

Aug 16
Mass PROTESTS against Zelensky!

Streets blocked. Roads at a standstill.

People are no longer asking.
They’re demanding.

And this is only the beginning…

https://x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2089043654803362117

[Tintin]

Posted by rgray222 (here)
Lev Shlosberg, a prominent leader of Russia's anti-war party, was registered to run in the upcoming September elections. The anti-war movement in Russia has been gaining significant momentum, with Russians becoming increasingly vocal over the past few months, advocating for an end to the war. This is clearly an effort to stop that momentum.


Russia's prominent anti-war politician jailed for 11 years


Lev Shlosberg said he was punished for his political position

Russia's prominent anti-war politician Lev Shlosberg has been sentenced to 11 years and one month in a penal colony for "discrediting" the country's armed forces and "spreading false information" about them.

Shlosberg, 63, condemned the verdict by a court in the city of Pskov, saying its only task was to "punish a person for his political, public and civil position".

His liberal political party Yabloko, which he is deputy head of, said it would appeal.

The ruling came just minutes before Russia's Supreme Court rejected Yabloko's appeal against a ban on it taking part in September's parliamentary elections.

Yabloko was the only registered party to oppose Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in 2022.

Since the start of the invasion, any remaining opposition in Russia to President Vladimir Putin - who has been in power for nearly 27 years - has been crushed.

Public shows of dissent have been suppressed by wartime censorship laws and can trigger hefty fines or long prison sentences.

The court in Pskov, north-western Russia, delivered its verdict on Monday.

It found Shlosberg guilty of "public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation".

The prosecution had demanded 12 years and one month in jail. The criminal charges were brought following Shlosberg's comments published on social media.

In his closing speech, Shlosberg again rejected all the charges, describing the trial as "an imitation of an investigation" in order to "achieve an obviously illegal goal", according to a transcript published by the Novaya Gazeta newspaper.

The opposition politician also repeated his call for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war and the start of a "political dialogue".

He was repeatedly interrupted by the presiding judge.

Yabloko was struck off the ballots earlier this month over accusations that the party publicly supports the "international LGBT movement", which Russia's Supreme Court designates as extremist.

A lawsuit brought forward by pro-Kremlin nationalist party Rodina also argued that Yabloko was guilty of copyright infringement.

Yabloko rejects all the accusations.

All 10 other parties taking part in the 18-20 September election support the war in Ukraine.

The latest ratings of the ruling United Russia slipped to 32.1% earlier this month - the lowest figure since May, according to Russia's state-owned pollster VCIOM.

Still, the Kremlin is widely believed to have the resources to deliver the outcome it wants at the election.

Independent election watchdogs have been deprived of much of their ability to monitor and challenge the process.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4kjnle2neo

Oh, it's the BBC

I had the misfortune of having to sit through BBC News bulletins this past few days: it's truly shocking, and isn't even journalism. 'Climate crisis!'; Britain's a 'tinderbox!' et yada yada yada, on repeat, on each of its segments, each day, on loop. At least they managed to leave politics out of the highly enjoyable European Athletics Championships, a theme which, if it hasn't already been run with, I'll pick up with on another thread (I digress)

This article is another blatant example of narrative framing. Yabloko broke the rules, so as is usually the case some will whine, as this chap who has been caught out violating intellectual property rights in his party's campaigning, is wont to do here. (Someone pass him a handkerchief).

And don't even get me started on that now deceased piece-of-work Navalny, a former British Intelligent asset, which the 'West' feted as some kind of popular resistance, and continue to weep about. He was a chancer, tied to neo-Nazi groups and was a useful idiot in ongoing regime change attempts.

The article is riddled with more holes than the cellar of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg

- "Any remaining opposition has been crushed (see the Gollum, in Ukraine for comparison): the Communist Party will run; that's an opposition party that garners some 20+ percent support each time the election cycle comes around, so, that's BBC misinformation, again.

- "Still, the Kremlin is widely believed to have the resources to deliver the outcome it wants at the election.": widely believed by whom, exactly? Name them! This is classic exonymic projection, typical of the narrative framers in the 'West'. Putin is genuinely very popular in Russia, and his United Russia party may do similarly well.

- regarding VCIOM: BBC lying by ommission: from https://wciom.com/press-release/2026...olling-results 2026 State Duma Election: First Polling Results published March 2026

The VCIOM Analytical Center presents the findings of a nationwide survey of Russians on the upcoming State Duma election.


In autumn 2026 Russia will hold elections to the Ninth Convocation of the State Duma. According to the survey findings, Russians view the upcoming election both as a civic duty and as an opportunity to influence the country's future. An overwhelming majority of respondents (86%) believe that every citizen should cast a vote, while 64% see participating in the election as a genuine opportunity to influence their own future.

These stated attitudes toward elections are reflected in respondents' behavior: 67% of Russians report voting regularly, while a further 23% vote only occasionally. Individual attitudes are also reinforced by social norms: 71% say that voting is common within their social circle.

Despite a broad public consensus on the importance of electoral participation, awareness of the upcoming State Duma election remains relatively low. Overall, only 22% of Russians correctly identified either the exact date (or month and year) or at least the year of the election. Declared turnout stood at 62% in March 2026.

If the State Duma election were held next Sunday, voting intentions among likely voters would be distributed as follows (March average polling): United Russia — 31%, LDPR — 10%, New People — 10%, KPRF — 9%, and A Just Russia — 5%.

At the same time, the potential support for many political parties is substantially higher than their current figures. Half of Russians (52%) say they would consider voting for United Russia. LDPR and A Just Russia also have considerable electoral potential: despite their relatively modest current polling figures, 45% and 42% of respondents, respectively, say they would consider voting for these parties. A further 39% would consider voting for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), while 31% would consider supporting New People.

.

- "Independent election watchdogs have been deprived of much of their ability to monitor and challenge the process.": well I expect OSCE will have an invitation to monitor, they usually do. It is the responsibility of responsible 'journalists' - these aren't journalists of course, stenographers in the main - to name watchdogs that have been (so-stated) deprived.

Perhaps BBC's Steve Rosencheese, Limburger, whatever his name is (ah, Rosenberg) who is still allowed access to broadcast from Russia (unlike RT in Europe and Britain who have been banned) may wish to operate as an observer. I'd read the BBC slop here as "The people that we want monitoring it as a part of our ongoing anti-Russia propaganda and regime change efforts, with ties to intelligence agencies, aren't allowed to come in. Boo hoo, hissy fit, those dastardy Russians"

I repeat: representatives from OSCE will most likely be there, monitoring things.

_______________________

I'd have to say thankyou, genuinely for sharing this dross, this execrable turd of an article, as it's now on-record, and proof further of the untrustworthiness of the state broadcaster in the UK

Next.

[Tintin]

Via Telegram and Ukraine Watch:

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

🔘 Brit Who Switched to Russia Says He Saw Ukrainian Atrocities — and Western Media Lies ​

➡British volunteer and blogger Michael Jones crossed over to the Russian side in 2022, later received a Russian passport, and is now serving with the 61st Separate Guards Marine Brigade of Russia’s Center Group of Forces. ​

🇺🇦 Jones says his decision came after witnessing the actions of Ukrainian nationalist formations firsthand — and seeing how Western media distorted what was happening on the ground. ​

[rgray222]

Tens of thousands of Russians are crossing into Georgia primarily to avoid a rumored new wave of military mobilization (conscription, draft) expected in the fall of 2026. Mobilization Fears: The current exodus is driven by rumors of increased conscription following recent State Duma elections, prompting men of military age to flee to avoid being drafted for the war in Ukraine. Visa-Free Access: Georgia remains a top destination because it allows Russian citizens to enter and stay for up to one year without a visa, making it a relatively accessible refuge compared to other countries.

The Septembrists, Russia’s latest wave of emigres to Georgia


Many of the Russians waited for days to cross the border in the high Caucasus mountains. (Max Benidze/Flickr)

Sergey, a twenty-something Muscovite, recalls frantically packing his suitcase, getting ready to flee Russia and the mass mobilization that its president, Vladimir Putin, had just ordered. He fights back tears, overcome by a feeling that he will not be going home for a very long time.

“Since the war in Ukraine started, I felt deep in my heart that the life I knew was ending,” said Sergey. The bespectacled, mild-mannered former office worker did not want his last name to be used for security reasons. “I just tried to postpone this moment for as long as I could. But what can I do now, when my country is forcing me to kill people who have never done anything wrong to us?” he asked.

His parents put Sergey into their car and they sped out of Moscow. On their way, they picked up Sergey’s best friend, Dima. “I had never been out of Russia before and this is not how I had imagined my first trip abroad,” Dima told Eurasianet. “But staying in Russia meant going either to war or to prison. Both of those scenarios would end in my death.”

Like tens of thousands of other Russians, they headed south, to the border with Georgia.

On the same day, 41-year-old Mikhail Linov was on a sleeper train from St. Petersburg to the southern Russian town of Mineralnye Vody. From there, he planned to take a bus or a cab to the Georgian border. “Plane tickets were snapped up in a split second after they announced mobilization, so most people ran toward the land borders,” said Linov who, unlike most of those fleeing mobilization, agreed to use his full name.

“I’ve backpacked a lot and I knew immediately that, as far as land borders go, Georgia was the fastest and safest bet,” he said: Georgia offers Russians a visa-free stay for a year.

After arriving in Mineralnye Vody, Linov learned that police in the Russian Caucasus republics that lay along the road to Georgia had turned the exodus of draftable men into an opportunity to profiteer. “At a checkpoint in Ingushetia police took the passports of everyone on the bus and asked for 20,000 rubles [$340] per person to give them back and let us proceed,” Linov told Eurasianet. “We negotiated it down to 10,000 rubles.”

After bribing their way through the checkpoints or sneaking around them, runaway Russians began bottlenecking into a miles-long car queue on the homestretch to the Georgian border. Realizing that they couldn’t get any further by car, the parents dropped off Sergey and Dima at the beginning of the queue and the men continued their journey on foot.

“It was a total mess there. Cars were in all the lanes and even the sides of the road,” Sergey said. “We saw some VIP people skipping the line, being escorted ahead by police cars. I guess some rich people paid to get through the line faster, but in the end everyone got stuck.”

They ran into a friend who was driving her husband out of the country and spent the night in her car, which was stuck somewhere in the middle of the line. Linov got out of his bus, walked ahead and bought himself a seat in a car that had made it closer to the final checkpoint on the Russian side of the border. “It eventually cost me 30,000 rubles [$500] just to go over the border,” he said.

The next day, Sergey and Dima walked back to buy some food at a roadside restaurant. “There were people sleeping on the floors and in chairs,” Dima said. “People were relieving themselves all along the highway.”

A cool welcome



On the other side of the border, Georgians watched the avalanche of Russian men rolling their way with concern and anger. After all, the last time thousands of fighting-age Russian men had come to Georgia was during Russia’s invasion in 2008.

As the Russians poured into Georgia, many Georgians have come to fear that the emigres somehow could serve as a pretext for Putin to target their country.

Full Story: https://eurasianet.org/the-septembri...res-to-georgia

[Tintin]

Andrei Biletsky

The notorious Azov battalion founder is currently missing, presumed killed, but nothing has been confirmed yet either on the Russian side or (officially) via Ukrainian spokespeople, so we need to wait.

One of the more intriguing write-ups I've just picked up on does read like a first-person view of events connected with this.

In lieu of anything more concrete this can be considered a placeholder:

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

Source: https://x.com/polisopher/status/2089615784582467613

Translated from Russian
❗️Commander of "Azov" Andriy Biletsky has gone missing. Presumably, the neo-Nazi has been eliminated.

— Neighbors of the parents of the commander of the 3rd Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, nationalist Biletsky, report that a cordon was set up around their house (Kharkiv, Ludwig Svobody Ave., 39) for 5 hours. Dozens of local officials, as well as representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, arrived to Alena Anatolyevna (mother) with bouquets tied with mourning ribbons. Biletsky's father also greeted the guests. Details are being clarified. The last time the "Azov" leader appeared at a public event was three days ago, after which his name only appeared in the media and statements from Soros Foundation activists, who synchronously began to heroize him, — sources in the "North" group told us.

I wouldn't be surprised if they took him out themselves. The Spotted One is currently building his own system of governance, and Biletsky was embedded in the OP-Yermak-Zelensky vertical. Even "pseudo-Maidan revolutions" devour their heroes.

Last edited 8:30 AM · Aug 18, 2026

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

For now I'm a little sceptical as repeated claims that he has been seen as recently as yesterday at a Nazi exhumation and reburial event (Konovalets?) have been doing the rounds, which may have good provenance.

News of his demise is more likely wishful thinking, I'm sure, but worth just making a note of here.

[Tintin]

Posted by rgray222 (here)

The Septembrists, Russia’s latest wave of emigres to Georgia


[B]Many of the Russians waited for days to cross the border in the high Caucasus mountains. (Max Benidze/Flickr)

Full Story: https://eurasianet.org/the-septembri...res-to-georgia

Thanks. There may well be some truth to this, but, we do still need to be on our guard regarding Western propagandized outlets masquerading as 'independent'. I'd assume that they're probably running out of DC, not Russia - I haven't done any IP checks, yet.

Concerning Georgia and 2008 I'll link to one of the most definitive articles regarding what actually happened.

In the interim, here's the Eurasia.Net statement regarding their sponsors - at least they're transparent about it:

Link: https://eurasianet.org/about

[Extracted]

We strive to provide information useful to policymakers, scholars, and interested citizens both in and outside of Eurasia.

We publish in both English and Russian.

Eurasianet is a tax-exempt [501(c)3] organization based at Columbia University’s Harriman Institute, one of the leading centers in North America of scholarship on Eurasia. We receive support from Google, Bloomberg LP, Dow Jones-Factiva, LexisNexis, the Open Society Foundations and other grant-making institutions. Eurasianet also receives substantial support from the Washington-based New Lines Institute under a joint operating agreement. Eurasianet is advised by a board of trustees.

Members of the board are:

Jeffrey Trimble, chair, former Moscow correspondent and senior official at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and U.S. international broadcasting

Justin Burke, secretary, Eurasianet publisher

Jack Snyder, acting director of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University, and Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at Columbia.

Paule Robitaille, treasurer, former Moscow correspondent at CBC, and former member of the Quebec provincial parliament in Canada.

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

Regarding Georgia: it wasn't the Russians who invaded - it was a response (again) to a NATO sponsored incursion.

The Day America's Empire Died
Source: https://exiledonline.com/the-day-americas-empire-died/

By Mark Ames
Published: December 13th, 2008

(This article was published in the final issue of Radar magazine, which was bought out and shuttered just as the issue went to print in late September.)

[Extract: page 1]

Tskhinvali, South Ossetia — On the sunny afternoon of August 14, a Russian army colonel named Igor Konashenko is standing triumphantly at a street corner at the northern edge of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, his forearm bandaged from a minor battle injury. The spot marks the furthest point of the Georgian army’s advance before it was summarily crushed by the Russians a few days earlier. “Twelve Georgian battalions invaded Tskhinvali, backed by columns of tanks, armored personal carriers, jets, and helicopters,” he says, happily waving at the wreckage, craters, and bombed-out buildings around us. “You see how well they fought, with all their great American training — they abandoned their tanks in the heat of the battle and fled.”

Konashenko pulls a green compass out of his shirt pocket and opens it. It’s a U.S. military model. “This is a little trophy — a gift from one of my soldiers,” he says. “Everything that the Georgians left behind, I mean everything, was American. All the guns, grenades, uniforms, boots, food rations — they just left it all. Our boys stuffed themselves on the food,” he adds slyly. “It was tasty.” The booty, according to Konashenko, also included 65 intact tanks outfitted with the latest NATO and American (as well as Israeli) technology.

Technically, we are standing within the borders of Georgia, which over the last five years has gone from being an ally to the United States to a neocon proxy regime. But there are no Georgians to be seen in this breakaway region — not unless you count the bloated corpses still lying in the dirt roads. Most of the 70,000 or so people who live in South Ossetia never liked the idea of being part of Georgia. During the violent land scramble that occurred after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the South Ossetians found themselves cut off from their ethnic kin in North Ossetia, which remained part of Russia. The Russians, who’ve had a small peacekeeping force here since 1992, managed to keep the brewing conflicts on ice for the last 15 years. But in the meantime, the positions of everyone involved hardened. The Georgians weren’t happy about the idea of losing a big chunk of territory. The Ossetians, an ethnic Persian tribe, were more adamant than ever about joining Russia, their traditional ally and protector.

The tense but relatively stable situation blew up late in the evening of August 7, when on the order of president Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia’s army swept into South Ossetia, leveling much of Tskhinvali and surrounding villages and sending some 30,000 refugees fleeing north into Russia. Within hours, Russia’s de facto czar Vladimir Putin counterattacked — some say he’d set a trap — and by the end of that long weekend the Georgians were in panicked retreat.

The Russian army then pushed straight through South Ossetia and deep into Georgia proper, halting less than an hour’s drive from Saakashvili’s luxurious palace. All around me is evidence of a rout. A Georgian T-72 tank turret is wedged into the side of a local university building, projecting from the concrete like a cookie pressed into ice cream. Fifty yards away you can see the remains of the vehicle that the orphaned turret originally was part of: just a few charred parts around a hole in the street, and a section of tread lying flat on the sidewalk. Russian tanks now patrol the city unopposed, each one as loud as an Einstrzende Neubauten concert, clouding the air with leaded exhaust as they rumble past us.

But listening to Colonel Konashenko, it becomes clear to me that I’m looking at more than just the smoldering remains of battle in an obscure regional war: This spot is ground zero for an epic historical shift. The dead tanks are American-upgraded, as are the spent 40mm grenade shells that one spetznaz soldier shows me. The bloated bodies on the ground are American-trained Georgian soldiers who have been stripped of their American-issue uniforms. And yet, there is no American cavalry on the way. For years now, everyone from Pat Buchanan to hybrid-powered hippies have been warning that America would suddenly find itself on a historical downslope from having been too reckless, too profligate, and too arrogant as an unopposed superpower.

Even decent patriotic folk were starting to worry that America was suffering from a classic case of Celebrity Personality Disorder, becoming a nation of Tom Cruise party-dicks dancing in our socks over every corner and every culture in the world, lip-synching about freedom as we plunged headfirst into as much risky business as we could mismanage. And now, bleeding money from endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we’re a sick giant hooked on ever-pricier doses of oil paid for with a currency few people want anymore. In the history books of the future, I would wager that this very spot in Tskhinvali will be remembered as both the geographic highwater mark of the American empire, and the place where it all started to fall apart.

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

Library link (archived 2024): https://avalonlibrary.net/Tintin/Var..._eXiled%29.pdf

[Tintin]

Russian overnight/early morning strikes on Ukraine

Kiev, and other areas, but primarily Kiev and its Oblast have taken another pounding. That said, it was expected.

Olga Bazova provides a helpful breakdown on what was most likely hit. NASA FIRMS data will verify most of this - some video is emerging online as well: I'll see if AMK Mapping has any updates as well; he's sure to:

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

Yesterday NAFO fellas were jubilant about the AFU destroying a coffee plant in Russia, after launching 500+ drones at it.

Today Russia hit in Kiev:

▪️An industrial enterprise LLC "Fire Point" – which produced components for long- and medium-range strike UAVs, as well as assembling and storing accelerators used in "Flamingo" cruise missiles;

▪️A trading and warehouse complex of the company "Ukrspeccystem" – where components for long- and medium-range strike UAVs were produced, large-scale assembly of aircraft-type UAVs was carried out, and they were stored;

▪️An aircraft industry assembly plant State Enterprise "Antonov" – which produced long-range aircraft-type UAVs, the An-196 "Lutyi," and also developed and produced piloted aircraft of various types;

▪️An ammunition depot – which stored thermobaric aircraft bombs M-900, anti-tank mines, and ammunition for UAVs of the "Baba Yaga" type.

In the Kiev region, the following were hit:

▪️The Martusivka transport and logistics center – which stored and distributed dual-use goods, including those for the production of long- and medium-range UAVs, robotic complexes, and electronic warfare equipment;

▪️A fuel and lubricants depot in Brovary – which stored up to 8,000 cubic meters of fuel intended for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In addition, on the evening of August 19, warehouses with military equipment were hit in the ports of "Chornomorsk" and "Yuzhny."

"Your terms are acceptable"

[Tintin]

Woman in Kamianske, Dnepropetrovsk, pleads with Shmeigel's (the Gollum's ®) TCC thugs

Video and photograph saved to the library and embedded here as is my usual practice. This is a very powerful image, and footage, almost iconic I'd say

Another reminder that the true enemy of the Ukrainian people is not the Russian Federation - it never was - but the enormous MIIC apparatus (Zionist) funding propping up the criminal private ultra-nationalist (Nazi) military group put in place to deliberately crush the state and its people, little doubt under 'instruction' from BlackRock, Vanguard, Vatican (Swiss banks, Bank of England, etc..) et al, as a reconstruction investment 'opportunity': blood-money; it's vile, and sick.

I'm no fan of Iuliia Mendel but her description is totally apropos here:

Link: https://x.com/IuliiaMendel/status/2090184618066731228

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

“I am begging you,” a Ukrainian woman cries, dropping to her knees as she pleads with military recruitment officers not to take her husband in Kamianske.

Let me remind you that the online system supporting this recruitment process was designed under the so-called “popular” (in liberal media only) Minister Fedorov…

This is the ugliest, most inhumane way of treating human beings one could imagine. It should never have come to this.

Degradation of humanity in Ukraine...

[Tintin]

Posted by Tintin (here)
Russian overnight/early morning strikes on Ukraine

Kiev, and other areas, but primarily Kiev and its Oblast have taken another pounding. That said, it was expected.

Olga Bazova provides a helpful breakdown on what was most likely hit. NASA FIRMS data will verify most of this - some video is emerging online as well: I'll see if AMK Mapping has any updates as well; he's sure to:

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

Yesterday NAFO fellas were jubilant about the AFU destroying a coffee plant in Russia, after launching 500+ drones at it.

Today Russia hit in Kiev:

▪️An industrial enterprise LLC "Fire Point" – which produced components for long- and medium-range strike UAVs, as well as assembling and storing accelerators used in "Flamingo" cruise missiles;

▪️A trading and warehouse complex of the company "Ukrspeccystem" – where components for long- and medium-range strike UAVs were produced, large-scale assembly of aircraft-type UAVs was carried out, and they were stored;

▪️An aircraft industry assembly plant State Enterprise "Antonov" – which produced long-range aircraft-type UAVs, the An-196 "Lutyi," and also developed and produced piloted aircraft of various types;

▪️An ammunition depot – which stored thermobaric aircraft bombs M-900, anti-tank mines, and ammunition for UAVs of the "Baba Yaga" type.

In the Kiev region, the following were hit:

▪️The Martusivka transport and logistics center – which stored and distributed dual-use goods, including those for the production of long- and medium-range UAVs, robotic complexes, and electronic warfare equipment;

▪️A fuel and lubricants depot in Brovary – which stored up to 8,000 cubic meters of fuel intended for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In addition, on the evening of August 19, warehouses with military equipment were hit in the ports of "Chornomorsk" and "Yuzhny."

"Your terms are acceptable"

Here's AMK Mapping with another helpful detailed breakdown.

Source: https://x.com/AMK_Mapping_/status/2090326625145774404

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

Last night, Russia launched another large-scale, combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine.

Missiles launches:

~22 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from 6 Tu-95MS strategic bombers at their launch lines near the city of Cherepovets, Vologda Oblast.

~16 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from 2 Tu-160M strategic bombers at their launch lines near the city of Cherepovets, Vologda Oblast.

~9 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles launched from near Manturovo, Kursk Oblast.

~4 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles launched from near Millerovo, Rostov Oblast.

~8 Kalibr cruise missiles launched from a Buyan-M corvette at Novorossiysk Naval Base, Krasnodar Krai.

~3 Kh-59/69 cruise missiles launched from a Su-57 in northern Kursk Oblast.

~2 Kh-59/69 cruise missiles launched from a Su-34/35 near Siverskodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast.

~1 Kh-59/69 cruise missile launched from a Su-34/35 in western Belgorod Oblast.

~8 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles launched from OTRK installations near the city of Klintsy, Bryansk Oblast.

~2 Kn-23 ballistic missiles launched from near Liski, Voronezh Oblast.

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

Total missiles launched:

~38 Kh-101 cruise missiles.
~13 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles
~8 Kalibr cruise missiles
~8 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles
~6 Kh-59/69 cruise missiles
~2 Kn-23 ballistic missiles

~75 missiles in total.

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

Ukrainian air defence work:

As of the time of writing, it appears Ukrainian air defence was able to shoot down a *minimum* of 30 Kh-101s, 6 Kalibrs, and 2 Kh-59/69s.

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

The main targets for this strike was Ukrainian military enterprises in Kyiv City and Kyiv Oblast. The following was targeted:

Antonov Aircraft Plant in northwestern Kyiv (50.4651796 30.3905940) by Iskander-Ms, Zircons, and a Kalibr.

Industrial zone in western Kyiv (50.446792, 30.391383) by Iskander-Ms, Zircons, and a Kalibr.

Industrial enterprise in western Kyiv (50.421438, 30.444244) by Iskander-Ms/Zircons.

Warehouse complex in eastern Kyiv (50.441523, 30.684197) by Iskander-Ms/Zircons/Kn-23s.

Unknown target in Kyiv by Iskander-Ms/Zircons.

Oil depot in Brovary, Kyiv Oblast (50.523408, 30.831310) by Iskander-Ms/Zircons/Kh-101s/Kh-59/69s.

Logistics depot in Brovary, Kyiv Oblast (50.523557, 30.838888) by Iskander-Ms/Zircons/Kh-101s/Kh-59/69s.

Unknown target in/near Dnipro by Kh-101s.

Unknown target near Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, by Kh-59/69s.

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

Keep in mind, the numbers of missiles launched may be slightly higher than what I've listed, as the number of missiles detected is sometimes lower than actual launches. These numbers may be adjusted in the coming hours as more information comes available.

_________________________

[Tintin]

Four years already

[rgray222]

Posted by Tintin (here)

Posted by rgray222 (here)

The Septembrists, Russia’s latest wave of emigres to Georgia


[B]Many of the Russians waited for days to cross the border in the high Caucasus mountains. (Max Benidze/Flickr)

Full Story: https://eurasianet.org/the-septembri...res-to-georgia

Thanks. There may well be some truth to this, but, we do still need to be on our guard regarding Western propagandized outlets masquerading as 'independent'. I'd assume that they're probably running out of DC, not Russia - I haven't done any IP checks, yet.

I don't think you have to worry too much about the story of young men fleeing to Georgia to avoid conscription being propaganda; many outlets around the world covered it. This story was not covered by any Russian outlets (that I could find). Russian news sources did not cover the mass exodus in 2022 either, when we now know that hundreds of thousands of young men fled across the borders of Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Finland.

Russia enforces extensive state censorship over all the news, but they censor war information and news with an iron fist, so you have to look around the world to find relevant and meaningful stories. Almost all of the independent Russian journalists have either stopped reporting or moved out of the country.

There is plenty of evidence of the recent mass exodus from Russia to Georgia. Also, stories are just beginning to get out that Georgian society remains deeply resentful of all the Russian that have recently entered their country.

[Tintin]

Posted by rgray222 (here)

I don't think you have to worry too much about the story of young men fleeing to Georgia to avoid conscription being propaganda;

Correct, that isn't necessarily propaganda, I agree. It's just how it's framed, that's my point here.

Russia does undertake two conscription (a kind of National Service) rounds in the year: Spring and Autumn (Fall) from memory, so this is not unusual.

Yes, there were those who jumped ship back in 2022 although some have reported a fair few having returned: apologies, sources not immediately available to hand. A younger generation who are more 'liberal' minded, that is, not enamoured of Vladimir Putin, or averse to war (aren't we all to some degree or another?) are sure to want to 'escape', which one can understand.

[Tintin]

Latest Simplicius article published today:

Source: https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/...sive-ukrainian

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

Plans Revealed for Massive Ukrainian Attacks Against Russian Airports, as Kiev Hit With Another Unstoppable Ballistic Swarm

Avalon library link to PDF: https://avalonlibrary.net/Ukraine/Ar...Simplicius.pdf

[Extracted]:

Ukraine is now threatening to unleash its own copy of the Iskander soon—Firepoint’s FP-9 ballistic missile—with estimates it will be “launched against Moscow by this October”.

Ukraine claims it has a range of nearly 900km, which would allow it to reach Moscow. This is difficult to believe, given that Iskander’s official range is 500km, and there is rumor that the true range is actually much smaller, about ~350km. This is validated by the fact that Iskanders have never been used to hit one of Ukraine’s most important airbases, Starokostiantynov, which is just under 500km from Iskander launch positions near Russia’s border.

It’s possible to reduce the warhead size and increase the fuel payload to increase range, however. Plus, as some have noted, both Russia and the US were militarily gimped by the INF Treaty which limited the range of ground-launched medium range ballistic missiles, while countries like Iran were able to ironically develop IRBMs that surpassed anything Russia or the US had in range. Ukraine can technically do the same thing, but it would require a completely different design. The FP-9 appears to be a direct copy of an earlier generation Iskander which would likely preclude it from achieving those higher ranges.

Interestingly, on that topic the Atlantic brings us a new piece today which makes some remarkable admissions about the origins of Zelensky’s last-ditch 2026 campaign to “bring down Putin” via mass strikes on Russian civilian targets.



https://www.theatlantic.com/national...drones/688337/

It begins:

Early this year, Ukrainian officials came to President Volodymyr Zelensky with a risky new plan to end the war with Russia. It would require expanding their bombing campaign to include a set of targets and a class of weapons they had long avoided. In addition to Ukraine’s ongoing strikes against Russian military bases, oil refineries, supply lines, and logistics hubs, the officials wanted to launch waves of AI-enabled drones at Moscow’s airports, hoping to stop international carriers from flying in and out of the Russian capital, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the plan, which has not been previously reported.

In short, they wanted to plan a mass terror attack on Russian airports to completely shut down all civilian flights in and out of Moscow as a way to ramp up pressure and make Russian civilians in the capital city feel the consequences of the war.

The article claims Zelensky thought better of it, fearing that “accidentally” killing civilians would be seen as “piracy” at the hands of Ukraine.

By the middle of spring, the plan to force a more permanent shutdown of Moscow’s airports had advanced far enough to receive a code name: M&Ms, a reference to the many small, cheap, and nearly identical drones that the mission would require. To overwhelm Russian air defenses, the operation would need to send as many as 1,000 drones a night to airports in and around Moscow, said one of the sources familiar with it.

The article details how it was ex-Defense Minister Fedorov that was responsible for driving the plan, but that even newly-appointed Yevhen Khmara is said to be carrying the reins forward.

Both sources told me planning for the operation was halted in July, when Zelensky abruptly fired its mastermind, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. As the architect of Ukraine’s military drone program, Fedorov had worked on the plan for most of this year, keeping it a secret even from some of his closest aides. He helped assemble a team of Ukrainian computer programmers to develop the AI guidance system, and he secured financing from Ukraine’s allies in Europe to produce the autonomous drones at scale, the two sources said.

The article notes this tracks with Fedorov’s begging of Elon Musk to enable Starlink to be used over all of Russia. This gives us a general overview of what to expect from Ukraine in the coming months. The closer Ukraine comes to battlefield defeat, the more it will redirect all of its available resources to targeting Russian civilian infrastructure in order to spur some kind of popular uprising of discontent against Putin.

The problem for Ukraine is, this creates an accelerating feedback loop of self-defeat: the more resources Ukraine pours into hitting militarily insignificant targets, the more Russia’s actual military might remains unaffected by Ukrainian combat power, which means the faster Ukraine’s collapse will accelerate on the real front. In essence, Ukraine is vesting its entire strategy into a war against Russia’s civilian sentiment, which is as risky a move as it was for the US in Iran, wherein strikes against civil infrastructure turned even the diehard anti-clerical contingent against the US and enshrined their support of the Iranian leadership.

The article ends with a potential compromise on the idea of directly attacking Russian airports:

Zelensky raised concerns about unintended targets being struck when it came to the plan to attack Moscow’s airports, one of the sources familiar with these conversations told me. The officials behind the plan offered work-arounds, the source said. They suggested, for example, that Ukraine would warn civilian airlines to avoid Russian airports and evacuate their planes before the swarm of Ukrainian drones arrived. “If they say to themselves, You know what, it’s getting too risky. Why even continue flying there?” the source said. “That would already have quite an impact on the Russian elites. Those are their main connections to the outside world.”

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

[rgray222]

Poland has officially announced that it is preparing for war with Russia, stating that the government and military are actively preparing for potential conflict while hoping it does not occur. This confirmation came from Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk in an interview published in mid-August 2026, where he stated, "We are preparing for war, hoping that it will never happen."

In today's world, there is no guarantee that the war will not spread; back in 2021, no one believed there would be a major war in Europe that would kill close to a million people.

Poland Is Slowly Preparing for the Unthinkable: War with Russia


Troopers with 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division firing the 25mm canon on a Bradley fighting vehicle in order to zero the vehicles weapons systems at a range in Poland. Ranges such as these familiarize troopers with the vehicles systems in order to ensure combat readiness.

Key Points and Summary - Russia’s latest barrage sent more than 20 drones into Polish airspace, the first hostile act against a NATO member, and it triggered an immediate response in Poland.

-Thousands have volunteered for military training as Warsaw rolls out an Israeli-style ready-reserve plan aimed at 500,000 trained citizens.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Knh7eiT85NE

-Prime Minister Donald Tusk says every adult male should be war-ready; women are signing up too, often using vacation days to train.

-Poland now fields NATO’s third-largest active force and spends 4.7% of GDP on defense. Officials expect 40,000 trainees in 2025, countering demographic decline and signaling resolve after years of Russian aggression nationwide.

In Response to Russian Drone Incursion, Thousands of Poles Sign Up For Military Training

WARSAW, POLAND - Last Tuesday, Russia fired more than 400 drones at Ukraine in one of its nightly attacks. Some 20 or more of these traveled into Polish airspace, making this incident officially the first hostile act committed by Moscow against a NATO member state in the history of the alliance.

The incident has had a dramatic effect on Poland, a Central European NATO member. Overnight, Russia has convinced thousands of citizens of this nation to sign up for voluntary military training.

What We Are Seeing in Poland Right Now

“There is a definite ‘cause and effect’ dynamic taking place here,” said one of the Polish defense specialists National Security Journal spoke to. “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin makes a move against Ukraine, and NATO then becomes larger and more determined. This is why Sweden and Finland joined the alliance after decades of self-imposed neutrality. Now he has convinced more of us to be prepared to go to war. It is like he has the foreign policy equivalent of the ‘Midas Touch’—only in reverse. Everything he does backfires on him.”

Last month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that the nation would create a ready reserve system mirroring the Israeli model, where hundreds of thousands of citizens will be required to participate in a comprehensive program of military training and reserve status.

The goal of this universal military preparedness program is to create a Polish military of active-duty personnel supported by a force of 500,000 trained, ready reservists with the requisite training under their belts.

This mandate will make a military large enough to deter the Russian army from attacking Poland and taking chunks of territory, as it already has in Ukraine.

Military Vacations

“By the end of the year, we want to have a model ready so that every adult male in Poland is trained for war, and so that this reserve is adequate for possible threats,” Tusk said to the Polish Parliament, the Sejm. With 200,000 personnel under arms the Polish military is now the third-largest of all the NATO alliance members after the US and Turkey. It is also the largest among the alliance’s EU members.

This fear of “what will Russia do next” has prompted many Poles—both male and female—to sign up for this training program, with some even using their vacation days away from work to complete part of their training. One of the Polish women who spoke to Reuters over the weekend spoke of how she wanted to be able to defend her family, especially her 13-year-old son.

“I’d do anything to keep my child safe. And I would definitely want to fight to protect him,” she said. The voluntary training program she has committed to is designed to attract as many professionals from civilian life as possible and to use their private-sector skills to support the armed forces.

A Hard History Still Stings for Poland

Memories of the decades when Poland was occupied by the Soviet military and its people governed under a communist regime controlled by the Russians are still fresh in the minds of many in this country. Russia’s historical orientation of “everything belongs to us” is a concern to the Polish military in particular and NATO in general.

“If you listened to the ravings of Putin last year when he held forth with his improbable version of Russian history in his interview with the US political commentator Tucker Carlson—well then you can understand why the Poles are just about as nervous and distrustful of Moscow as they can be at this point,” said a former senior NATO commander who spoke with National Security Journal.

Preparing for the Worst

More than 20,000 Poles decided to enter the voluntary military training program during the first seven months of 2025. This is consistent with similar record levels of those volunteering for the training regime last year, explained Colonel Grzegorz Wawrzynkiewicz, the head of Poland's Central Military Recruitment Centre.

Full Story: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...ia/ar-AA1MAtPM

[Vicus]

URGENT!

Ukraine sanctions creators of Masha and the Bear

Kiev claims the popular Russian cartoon poses a threat to national security



Ukraine has imposed sanctions on the creators of the popular Russian children’s cartoon Masha and the Bear, claiming it is part of Moscow’s propaganda campaign.

The animated series, loosely based on a traditional Russian folk tale, follows the adventures of a mischievous little girl and a retired circus bear. It is one of the most popular children’s shows online, with one episode, Recipe for Disaster, having been viewed more than 4.6 billion times on YouTube.

Last month, Netflix acquired the rights to two more seasons and extended licensing agreements for existing seasons and spin-offs, prompting criticism from Kiev.

In a statement on Thursday, Ukraine’s presidential sanctions commissioner, Vladislav Vlasyuk, said the latest round of restrictions targeted five individuals and four entities involved in the production and distribution of the show, including Animaccord Studio and its main creator, Oleg Kuzovkov. The show and its social media accounts have been banned in the country.

“Masha and the Bear disseminates a pro-Russian narrative under the guise of children’s content, which poses a threat to the national security of Ukraine,” Vlasyuk said. Ukraine’s state-run UNITED24 Media earlier described the series as depicting Russian cultural motifs as “welcoming, gentle, and universally appealing.”

Vicus comment:

Well, the TRUTH hurts...

continue: https://rtrunews.com/pop-culture/644...ns-masha-bear/

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=LOT4NI_4xVY

psst... the Wolfe are the Ukros...

[rgray222]

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (also known as Zaporozhye NPP) is located in Enerhodar, in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast of southeastern Ukraine. It sits on the southern bank of the Kakhovka Reservoir on the Dnieper River, approximately 55 kilometers northwest of the city of Zaporizhzhia and 550 kilometers southeast of Kyiv.

Diplomat calls West’s silence on Kiev’s nuclear terrorism 'strange'


Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik

MELITOPOL, August 21. /TASS/. The behavior of Western countries possessing nuclear technology is strange, as they remain silent about the Ukrainian provocations against the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large for the crimes of the Kiev regime Rodion Miroshnik told TASS during his working visit to the Zaporozhye Region.

The Zaporozhye NPP has been without an external power supply for over a day due to the shutdown of the last 330 kV high-voltage power supply line, known as Ferrosplavnaya-1. Director Yury Chernichuk stated that staff have been forced to optimize generator operations to reduce diesel fuel consumption because fuel reserves have not increased due to Ukrainian armed forces attacking all shipments delivered to Energodar in recent months.

"The silence from the so-called civilized world, especially from countries that possess nuclear technology, is quite strange. If they believe this can have only a one-sided impact, they are very much mistaken," Miroshnik said.

The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant and the city of Energodar have repeatedly come under Ukrainian attack. On July 15, Ukrainian forces attacked a ZNPP service vehicle with a drone, killing Chief Engineer Alexander Yakovlev and the driver. Then, on July 18, a Ukrainian drone hit an area near a bus stop in Energodar where people were waiting for transportation to work. One person was killed and 20 were injured, most of whom were Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant employees.

https://tass.com/politics/2176257

[noxon medem]

Giving perspective and valid information
-
https://www.youtube.com/@AlexChristoforou
-
peace, if it was that simple ..
-
Be (a) well, all

[Tintin]

Forced mobilisation update/s from Ukraine

Very helpful and genuinely insightful, from AMK Mapping who has been talking with citizens in Kiev, and he reports the following, which runs over 2 posts. Of course, this is more than thoroughly depicted and documented from many hundreds, if not thousands of pieces of footage being shared by Ukrainians all over the country, a very great many of which have been saved to our library - they seldom ever appear in Western mainstream outlets, for reasons that ought to be pretty obvious.

Source: https://x.com/AMK_Mapping_/status/2091121479958290837

Note: he signs off this post with:

Note: while I can confirm the authenticity of the people sending me this information, I cannot independently confirm every single detail of their accounts. This post is not designed to be a 100% accurate depiction of current events, but is instead aimed at illustrating the general situation in Kyiv, and how it is changing.

___________________________________

After making this post about the increase in forced mobilisation in Kyiv, several more Ukrainians reached out to me with additional details, which I am allowed to share. So, I thought I would make a part two to this post to help emphasise the rapidly changing situation for residents of Kyiv.

In Kyiv, the TCC (territorial recruitment) has been very active in recent months, even in busier areas, which they previously largely avoided due to the risk of facing resistance from the public. More checkpoints are being installed at main streets, arterial roads, and bridges, which block all traffic going both ways, preventing people from moving from the eastern bank to the western bank. Mobile checkpoints are installed for short periods of time (between tens of minutes to several hours) before changing locations to throw off online maps tracking their activity. The domains of these online maps are also periodically blacklisted to support the TCC's operations.

When men try to escape checkpoints, the TCC sometimes throws spikes under their wheels, or begin car chases. Those who try to escape also have their driver's licences revoked and receive large fines. Police collaborate with the TCC, and require those stopped at checkpoints to scan a" Reserv+" QR code to find their mobilisation status in the TCC's database, if they refuse to provide driver's licences or insurance. If they have problems with military enrolment, police are required to forcibly bring them to their local TCC office. Sometimes they even break the windows of cars if the men refuse to get out. As a result, every day there are dozens of empty cars abandoned near checkpoints, until relatives or friends pick up the car or it gets towed.

Checkpoints are installed randomly, even violating road rules. Police assist with this. Some more dangerous areas are well known and avoided by the TCC. In some cases, all men on public transport are checked. If the police refuse to collaborate, they are often fired, lose deferment from military service, and risk being immediately mobilised themselves. Calls to emergency services regarding traffic violations by the TCC are typically ignored by law enforcement. TCC members also wear balaclavas to hide their faces, in order to avoid being identified.

Previously in Kyiv, men could usually safely go to out parks or play sports. Now the TCC uses these recreational areas to catch sportsmen or bicyclists in any area where they can quickly move in and out of by cars and minibuses. Essentially, every single public area carries a high risk for mobilisation-aged men, except for some busier public spaces such as central streets or shopping centres.

The number of bribes the TCC takes has decreased substantially to an insignificant number, as it becomes very heavily controlled by the SBU. You only sometimes would have a chance to leave a minibus by paying a bribe in cash, typically between $5,000 and $15,000 USD, but these cases are very rare and often just rumours.

Some people have attributed this increase in mobilisation activity to the new minister of defence Yevhenii Khmara. Similar changes have also been observed in other major Ukrainian cities. According to one source, citing the online maps of TCC activity, in Dnipro, eyewitnesses record an average of 120 events per day. In Zaporizhzhia City, which is smaller than Dnipro, an average of 150 per day are recorded. Odesa and other cities (especially in western Ukraine) have also witnessed similar increases. Although, its worth noting that not all recorded events result in mobilisation into the army, and a portion of mobilised personnel are able to escape training grounds and medical screening sessions. However, some TCC groups may mobilise multiple people at once.

Ukrainian authorities and special services are struggling to identify and shut down Telegram channels and online maps tracking TCC movement. Sometimes they are able to identify the owners and shut down the channels, but the main ones for each major city remain up.

As for volunteer fighters, one source told me that he doesn't know anyone who would agree to go fight on the frontline for money. He specified that this is only among people he personally knows, and that there are some people, usually with debts, or those who need quick money (e.g. to save a loved one with a medical issue), who would volunteer. There was also a category of people who were afraid that they would be mobilised from the streets, so would instead register at the TCC office themselves after receiving their summons, and choose one of the branches of the army or units to be deployed to. However, this category has been largely exhausted, and is now a small percentage of those who are mobilised.

The source specifies that the largest percentage of mobilised people are taken from the street by mobile groups of the TCC, who kidnap them and sometimes fight off passer-by groups attempting to resist. Often, the TCC drive through the streets of villages, towns, and cities in buses (this is the most common method for smaller settlements). When they identify a potential victim, several men jump out to catch him. If the victim is able to escape, the remaining men in the bus immediately drive to intercept him. This source also mentions the possibility of using bribes, anywhere between $3,000 and $7,000 USD, which is a lot considering the average monthly salary in Ukraine is between $570 and $680 USD. Sometimes you can attempt to buy someone off once then reach the training centre, but by then they increase the amount of money required.

Those who do not have the money to bribe the TCC have the hope of escaping from training centres, or sometimes even as they are being transported there. In some cases, there is an order from the training centre to kill an escapee. The TCC then kidnaps them, takes them out somewhere, records them in their database as a deserter (as if they left the army, and no one knows anything about them), before killing them.

As for resistance to the TCC, this is increasing day by day, as hatred for them grows. One source estimated that 50% of mobilisation attempts result in interventions from bystanders, with most of these interventions involving force. Cars containing 1-2 members of the TCC sometimes patrol alongside police officers, with the police providing protection against members of the public who intervene. Not all mobilisation attempts are violent, as some men don't even try to resist. There are also some groups of teenagers and young adults who support (and may even actively help) the TCC, which include members and affiliates of Azov and other military units.

__________________________

And, his prior post:

Over the last few weeks, forced mobilisation of men into the Ukrainian military has been significantly stepped up in Kyiv, as Ukraine continues to face disastrous manpower shortages. I would like to shed some light on these changes, and the issues which come with them. All information presented here was provided to me by people currently in Ukraine, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In Kyiv, an increase in mobilisation has been observed since August 9. Additional mobilisation checkpoints have been set up, and the TCC (territorial recruitment) is monitoring bus stops and subway stations. Military-aged men are trying to avoid public transport to decrease their odds of being mobilised and sent to prison-style military camps. Community-made online maps have surfaced which track where mobilisation checkpoints are erected, or where past mobilisation attempts have occurred. Within these maps, there is a database where other users can confirm or deny the existence of these locations, to help flush out any fake locations submitted.

Desertions are becoming very common. Training only takes place for around 6 weeks (sometimes even less), before being sent to the frontline. Most brigades don't have enough resources to prevent desertion, especially after the 6-week training period is over. This has resulted in a lot of training camps being converted into what one source describes as "real prisons", where it is much more difficult to escape from. This has led to an increase in the number of desertions occurring after the 6-week training period once they are deployed to the frontline.

In various different cities, there are companies which hire deserters for low-paying offline jobs (offline so they don't have to leave the house and risk being caught again). They provide an alternative to larger-private companies - the HRs of which are in contact with private security companies, whose bosses and top employees are former policemen. These security companies can provide a service of checking candidates in police databases, as they have friends in the police force. This means that deserters often can't apply for these higher-paying jobs, as they risk being caught and charged.

Nevertheless, sometimes these larger companies do hire deserters on "special conditions", as, due to the declining population, they don't have enough employees, and can deny knowing that the employee was a deserter.

It's estimated that the rate of overall forced mobilisation activity in Kyiv has doubled this year, although this does not necessarily mean the numbers of men actually being mobilised has doubled.

On the border with Poland, changes have also been observed, which one of my sources attributes to the recent naming of a Ukrainian special operations unit after the UPA (a Ukrainian militant group which collaborated with the Nazis in WW2 and committed massacres against Polish civilians), which led to Poland's highest honour award being stripped from Zelensky. The current waiting time at one of the checkpoints, without being rerouted, is 15-20 hours. They have started interviewing everyone on the Ukrainian side of the border.

________________________

GRAPHIC: a photograph appearing on 4 chan showing a killed TCC mobiliser in Lvov. The man who fought back during the busification attempt was later killed by police.

Linked, only: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HQUqW6bX...g&name=900x900