Ukraine Invasion: Part 43

[MagicFox]

With thanks as usual to everyone!

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This is a good article to debunk the trope of the "Asov Regiment being far right Nazis" (the "Asov Batallion " militia was disbanded years ago and the regiment incorporated within the regular army minus its extremist leader) if you don't want to make the effort to read the regular debunking in the early threads.

https://lens.monash.edu/@politicss*-society/2022/08/19/1384992/much-azov-about-nothing-how-the-ukrainian-neo-nazis-canard-fooled-the-world?amp=1

Actually, the stuff in the early threads is hard to find now.

It really is, I was looking for the first few threads the other day just for a nosey to see how far we’ve come and it’s really difficult to find them!

THIS is what Russian soldiers are like. Remember, they were issued viagra according to one UN representative's research.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/how-russian-soldiers-terrorise-ukraine-sexual-violence/

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-assessment-july-8-2023

[worth reading the whole thing for the analysis of the current state of Prigozhin and Putin]

Key Takeaways:

• Five hundred days ago Russia launched an unprovoked war of conquest against Ukraine.
• Ukrainian forces conducted counteroffensive operations on at least three sectors of the front on July 8. US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl noted on July 7 that current Ukrainian operations across the front are the "beginning of the middle” of the wider counteroffensive and that it is therefore "too early to judge” how the counteroffensive is going.
• The United States announced a new military aid package for Ukraine that includes cluster munitions on July 7.
• Russian forces conducted another series of Shahed 131/136 drone and missile strikes against Ukraine's industrial and infrastructure facilities overnight from July 7 to 8.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ukraine “deserves NATO membership” ahead of the July 11 to 12 NATO summit in a press conference on July 7 in Istanbul with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky returned to Ukraine from Turkey with five Ukrainian commanders involved in the defense of Azovstal Metallurgical Combine in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast whom Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey had previously agreed would remain in Turkey until the end of the war.
• Ukrainian intelligence indicated that Russian authorities are capitalizing on the fear of a provocation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) to drive out Ukrainian personnel and increase the Russian presence at the ZNPP ahead of the upcoming NATO summit.
• A Wagner commander stated that the Wagner Group will go to Belarus after completing rest and recuperation through August 2023. The status of the deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prigozhin is unclear, and the deal may be in flux.
• The Kremlin may be attempting to ensure that it has control over Wagner leadership and personnel in Africa and the Middle East.
• A prominent Russian milblogger speculated that the Russian military leadership may be in the process of making the decision to replace Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, suggesting that the implications of the June 24 Wagner Group rebellion may still be having ramifications on the highest echelons of military command.
• Russian authorities reportedly prevented former Russian officer and ardent nationalist Igor Girkin from holding a talk about the Wagner Group rebellion.
• Russian forces conducted ground attacks along the Kharkiv-Luhansk Oblast border and south of Kreminna, and Ukraine likely continues to conduct strikes on Russian concentration areas deep within the rear of occupied Luhansk Oblast.
• Ukrainian and Russian forces conducted ground attacks around Bakhmut.
• Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line.
• Russian and Ukrainian forces continued ground attacks along the administrative border between Zaporizhia and Donetsk oblasts on July 8.
• Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations in western Zaporizhia Oblast.
• Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reportedly observed combat training of Russian contract servicemen at the Southern Military District (SMD) training grounds on July 8, likely in an attempt to favorably portray Russian formalization efforts and incentivize personnel recruitment.
• The Ukrainian government has indicated that Russian occupation authorities struggle to compensate staff in critical industries, resulting in staffing shortages that could hinder the Russian war effort.

According to the Daily Mail, Gerasimov has been sacked

Kyiv Independent Telegram

⚡️The Telegraph: Germany prepares block Ukrainian NATO bid. kyivindependent.com/germany-prepares-to-block-ukrainian-nato/

Russian forces attempted offensives in five directions in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported in its evening update on July 8. https://kyivindependent.com/general-staff-russian-forces-attempted-offensive-in-5-directions/

Ukraine’s State Environmental Inspectorate reported that Russia's full-scale invasion has caused $55.9 billion (Hr 2 trillion) in environmental damage, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Strilets said on July 8. https://kyivindependent.com/minister-russias-war-inflicts-55-billion-in-environmental-damage/

Ukraine is worried about alleged secret talks between former U.S. officials and Kremlin-linked Russians concerning Ukraine's NATO membership, NBC News reported on July 8, citing an unnamed Ukrainian official. https://kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-government-concerned-about-americans-back-channel-diplomacy-with-russia/

According to a recent poll conducted by the Russian Levada Center, 68% of surveyed Russian citizens want Vladimir Putin to be re-elected in the 2024 presidential election. https://kyivindependent.com/poll-almost-70-of-russians-want-putin-re-elected-in-2024/

⚡️Spain, UK against provision of cluster bombs to Ukraine. https://kyivindependent.com/spain-uk-against-provision-of-cluster-bombs-to-ukraine/

⚡️National Resistance Center: Russia preparing to export stolen grain from occupied Ukraine to China. https://kyivindependent.com/military-allege-russia-prepares-to-export-stolen-grain-from-occupied-ukraine-to-china/

⚡️Portugal states support for Ukraine's NATO membership. https://kyivindependent.com/portugal-states-support-for-ukraines-nato-eu-membership-following-zelensky-phone-call/

⚡️Zelensky, Dutch PM discuss F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots. https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-confirms-starting-date-of-f-16-tr/

⚡️Official: 1,000 locals remain near Bakhmut. https://kyivindependent.com/official-around-1-000-locals-stay-near-bakhmut/

⚡️Reuters: Wagner troops not leaving Central African Republic kyivindependent.com/reuters-wagner-troops-not-leaving-central-african-republic/

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed Ukraine and Turkey "violated” prisoner exchange agreements amid the return of Ukrainian commanding officers who defended the Azovstal steel plant from Turkey. https://kyivindependent.com/putins-spokesperson-blames-ukraine-turkey-for-violating-agreement-as-azovstal-commanders-return-home/ (well, actually they did)

⚡️Zelensky meets https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-meets-prays-with-ecumenical-patriarch-of-constantinople/prays with ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople.

The history of Ukrainian nationalism is one of the most contentious, yet vital aspects of Ukraine's past.
While its dark pages must be untangled, it also paved the country's way to freedom.
In the final episode of Ukraine's True History, we took on the challenge of explaining the evolution of Ukrainian nationalist movements in the 20th century. s

How was Russia repressing Ukrainian culture during the times of the Soviet Union? s

what really? if confirmed, that's interesting.

Shoigu may be under considerable threat - there's a nasty corruption scandal going on which is very close to reaching him. But he also has a great deal of dirt on a lot of people and he's a very experienced political operator.

@ReleaseTheDucksOfWar, apparently he has been replaced by Colonel General Mikhail Teplinskiy. This has come from Russian media and has NOT been officially confirmed.

I've managed to find MMBaranova's excellent history of the Azov battalion referred to above.

She was aware of them because of her previous research about the extreme Right among Russians.

@LeonardCohensRaincoat you might find it helpful. In fact, I'm going to C&P it below, because I think we all found it informative. (Obviously it only goes up to May 2022 when she posted; the battalion's history has continued since then).

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4547874-ukraine-invasion-part-25?page=34&reply=117307927

MMBaranova · 18/05/2022 00:02

The Azov Issue

Back in 2012 I was doing some research on extreme right Russian individuals and groups. It came as no surprise that they sometimes featured in opposition to the Maydan protests in Ukraine in late 2013, and as the war in Luhansk and Donetsk developed in 2014 started to pop up in the ‘rebel’ ranks. There is no doubt that there were more participants on the Extreme Right – Fascist – Nazi spectrum on the Russian side than on the Ukrainian. However, successful finger pointing by the Russians and their friends across Europe and a greater willingness for the Ukrainian ones to bask in publicity meant that it was the Ukrainian and not the Russian ones who were in the spotlight. This was especially so with Azov.

Continuity. Are the current Azov fighters of 2022 the same as those of 2014? I’m not seeing that and in 2014 it was a small unit, then self designated as a regiment. The continuity that there is, is one of name, symbols, reputation and group memory. Azov is now a Battalion within the armed forces of Ukraine. Back in 2014 it was one of a number of units outside of the regular forces, including Dnipro-1, Donbas and Aidar [more on the last of those later] formed by oligarchs and/or political movements to help stem the initial advances of the ‘separatists’ (Russian proxies).

MMBaranova · 18/05/2022 00:03

Foundation and symbols. The initial members of the Azov regiment were a mixed group of mostly extreme rightists, foreign fighters and football thugs. Some were declared neo-Nazis, most weren’t, but tolerated the former and as an outfit adopted the symbol of the Social-National Party (yes the name did place it in a certain political zone) which looks like an N with a vertical I bar through it. The Social-National Party itself rebranded as Svoboda and went for a less triggering three raised fingers of a fist yellow on blue flag. The N, if it is a letter, is actually the penultimate letter of President Zelenskyy’s name and is a sort of Y contributing to the iy sound. Nowadays Azov often rotates the symbol so that it is at a slant. They often add a black sun wheel symbol, which is also loved by some white nationalists around the world including some hardcore Russian extremists. The branding is clear and, to me, embarrassing.

Failure. In the fighting at and around Ilovaisk in August 2014 Azov were criticised for their unreliability and ineffectiveness. Their losses were high. These were desperate battles and it was thought by many that they paraded and talked the talk but didn’t walk the walk.

MMBaranova · 18/05/2022 00:05

Heroism. Azov was sent down to the area east of Mariupol where they had limited success in helping to hold the advance by the separatist forces towards the city in later August 2014. However, as the front got closer to the city they contributed to a successful defence and were noted for their bravery. Azov’s name was therefore associated with Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, and its remaining in Ukrainian hands.

Integration. In late 2014 the volunteer regiments were integrated into the Ukrainian army. Azov seems to have been more autonomous than most and has retained its identity, reputation and symbology. Others like Aidar, accused of atrocities and criminal activity through 2014, were incorporated into a larger unit and more or less merged away. As a separate, identifiable unit, the now battalion designated Azov has been an easy target for Putin in his stated desire to de-nazify Ukraine. I have never been happy with some in Ukraine giving Azov a pass and effectively saying ‘yes, some are Nazis, but they are our Nazis’. It is a pity there was not the will to disband / integrate them away. Are the members of the battalion who have got on the Russian buses in Mariupol extreme right hard cases? I doubt that many are. Most are just patriots of some sort with maybe some foreign fighters. To Putin though, he’s got one of his sought after prizes. Alive.

Thank you @PerkingFaintly- really useful to re-read

Thank you @PerkingFaintly, I hadn't realised the early threads are hard to find, I've not looked for them.

Sincere thanks to all who replied to me - I actually read the thread referred to but must have missed the Azov stuff (I remember reading about the seed bank).

really appreciated x

Oh there was a very positive updates about the seed bank, which is that although they'd lost some of that years planting to the bombing - several thousand specimens - the store of dormant seeds was in an underground warehouse and had survived the attack.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gene_Bank_of_Plants_of_Ukraine

Clearly when the seed bank was designed, they'd thought this through – even though I doubt they realised it was Russian bombing they'd be protecting it from.

Thanks@PerkingFaintly

i remember I got lost on the internet reading up on the history of the seed bank mid thread and must have not returned to get the Azov stuff. Very interesting stuff

that is good news for them, at least

I know, the seed bank stuff is fascinating, isn't it!

It's heartbreaking what Soviet scientists put themselves through during WWII, to preserve the seed bank at Leningrad's Vavilov Institute for the common good.

And then heartbreaking again to see the betrayal of that sacrifice by Russia's current leadership.

The Gerasimov news has surprised me however if I recall Shoigu was seen in footage in the days after the Wagner revolt but it was commented on that Gerasimov wasn't also there.

That suggests there is rather more going on quietly in the power battle around Putin.

@PerkingFaintly

absolutely.
I have a feeling that a lot of the ‘good’ from the past - stuff like these scientists and their sacrifice for others, peace protocols post ww2, general socially good initiatives are all been reframed so that they can be dismantled or redesigned to take them out of the common good.

I think it’s been happening a while and that we are in dangerous territory when we go down that road.

Checking in as always find these threads so informative as it feels like the war has gone from the news. Slava Ukraini

I feel the same, and its happening all over

Which is why I feel that at the heart of it, the Ukraine-Russia war is a proxy war of values.

And Evil must never be allowed to triumph against Good.

Checking in.