From a wet tent at 4am i give you this
Canadian Ukrainian Volunteer AT CanadianUkrain1
Ukrainian Military Intelligence just stated that they believe Russian plans to create the "Republic of Kherson" will be thwarted by local Resistance.
I guess they've read the report.
Then earlier
Hello, friends
Our assignment took us deep into enemy territory. Unlike the times before, however, the job was, in some ways, much more dangerous. We changed into plausible civilians clothing, each armed with a concealed firearm, and under the cover of darkness made our way into the occupied city of Kherson on bicycles, in pairs, taking the Western approach. After hiding the bicycles in the brush, we snuck into the city proper.
The streets were quiet, dead quiet. We saw not a living soul except for occasional #Russian patrols, in vehicles and sometimes on foot, driving around, shining flashlights into windows and dark corners. Anyone on the streets at night is immediately arrested and often beaten.
Making our way through the city during curfue hours was a tense experience. Our contact has warned us to remain in the shadows and not to expose ourselves to spying eyes. While a minority, the collaborators in Kherson are everywhere, and they wouldn't hesitate to tip the Russians off if they saw us on the street after dark. A window opening above us or a flicker of someone's cigarette on a balcony, a barking dog in the distance, all were enough for us to cling to the walls in the darkness and hold our breath.
We eventually made contact with a member of the local Resistance that were invaluable in acting as spotters for our artillery for the last month. They provided us with Russian uniforms but no id papers. We could pass for Russian soldiers from a distance, but any up close examination would've revealed our true nature.
The resistance reported that the situation in the city is grim. People have been disappearing from their homes or taken right off the streets, never to be seen again. Anyone associated with territorial defense, SBU, local government administration, journalists and political activists is a target. Rumours are floating around that the Russians are sending them off to concentration camps in Russia, or simply executing them somewhere outside the city of Kherson and burying them in mass graves. Children have also been forcefully relocated to Russia. Just a few days ago, a Resistance member told us, an expression of sadness and pain on his face, 60 orphans were rounded up and taken East.
Thousands of tonnes of grain have been taken from Kherson region to Russia. Another Holodomor in the planning.
Come morning, the curfue is over. We wait for the streets to start filling up with people hurrying along their daily tasks, and we venture outside. The tension can be felt immediately. Citizens keep their eyes to the ground, avoiding looking at each other or at the Russian soldiers. Suspicion, distrust, fear and hatred are palpable. The Russians feel it too, and that makes them scared, frustrated, angry and on edge, their faces grey and tired. They randomly stop people on the street, frequently violently, particularly men. They search their belongings and phones for suspicious items and content.
Their efforts to turn Kherson "Russian" continue. Many positions in civil administration are now occupied by Russian collaborators. They shamelessly push Russian state propaganda and actively assist the invader in identifying and arresting Ukrainian citizens that present a threat to the Russification of the region.
We remained in the city until evening, and then made our way back to the bicycles. A couple of hours later and a close call with a Russian BTR, we finally made it to our lines, where kind souls have prepared strong coffee and plenty of cigarettes.
Thus ends our infiltration of Kherson, a city straining under Russian occupation and provocations (Kyivstar Internet was cut as we were leaving, most likely to blame it on the Ukrainians)
I cannot discuss the specific objectives of this operation, but I can say that they were all achieved.
Glad to be back.
I appreciate all the Internet warriors putting in their two cents about opsec and legalities of war. All I'm going to say to that is WAKE THE FUCK UP. You want to win playing by the rules, come here and do it the "right way". I win any way I can.
AND
I've made this kind of post before, but it looks like not everyone got the memo.
We're running a complex assymetrical program. Revealing why and how we do what we do is done only when it serves a specific, defined purpose. In the case of Kherson, it serves several.
C'est ca.
Background. Kherson is due to have a Russian 'referedum' on 1st May. Zelensky's late night speech tonight was about freedom of all Ukraine including the occupied bits.
The above is very stark positive propaganda. I treat with skepticism about what really happened or whether it's to stir up trouble and paranoia and to reassure those occupied.
Its still not clear who made the full internet blackout in Kherson. Maybe morning will bring clues.
And now back to trying to sleep in the rain.