UKRAINE DIARY
EVGEN KULIKOV
UKRAINE DIARY: From 104th Day to140th days of WAR
We are the nation. We are Ukrainians
Everyone knows that on February 24, 2022, Russia launched a massive war on us.
[ EVGEN KULIKOV, citizen of Ukraine narrates the situation of the unimaginable and unprecedented bloody situation of Ukraine from a unique angle from the 3rd day of the war started by Russia. Evgen Kulikov beautifully crafts the days of pain, horror, uncertainty, death, bombings, exodus, resistance, fighting, and many more in the UKRAINE DIARY. Evgen requests readers of www.mahabahu.com to read his pages – so that readers can feel the situation from this part of the world too. Editor, Mahabahu]
Today is the 104th day of WAR in Ukraine.
One photo in below is uploaded to explain what is the source of courage of Ukrainian defenders.
On Feb 24, 2022 Russian invaders started what they expected to be a several days only victorious operation. But from the day one everything went wrong for Russians.
Instead of easy walk they have been stuck in the long term full scale war, which they didn’t plan and where they lose the manpower and military potential in enormous numbers every day.
Yes, now we see the supplies to Ukraine of long range artillery, helicopters, tanks, air defense systems, spare parts for jet fighters, armored vehicles, anti-ship missiles, etc. and can’t wait seeing HIMARS/M270 MLRS in action.
But during first days of the Russian invasion the western weapons were represented by JAVELIN and NLAW only, which of course were good and keep on frightening invaders still now, but they were not and are not the decisive weapon in this war.
Ukrainian servicemen, both men and women, were and remain our key weapon.
From the day one they had no hesitations, no rose-colored glasses and no illusions regarding russian invaders and met them with all available weapons.
From the day one they have been proving Ukraine relies on a large, professional, trained and motivated army.
From the day one Ukrainian Armed Forces have shown high level of morale.
From the day one Ukrainian servicemen have relied on nation-scale support.
Besides professional servicemen, Ukrainian forces have been filled with civil people from all the industries and from all around the country.
Each business, each organization, each city and each community contributed people to strengthen Ukrainian forces.
Who are the Ukrainian warriors on the photos from the frontline?
Besides professional warriors you will easily find among them farmers, IT specialists, miners, lawyers, policemen, students, bankers, workers, teachers, doctors, singers, professional athletes, cashiers, truck drivers, journalists and so on.
All of them, who changed their usual job for weapons in their hands, are true heroes of Ukraine as well as all those for whom it is the main job.
Our lives depend on how well they are equipped and trained.
Our lives depend on how fast they will be supplied with necessary weapons.
Our lives depend on them.
Glory to all defenders of Ukraine!
We are the nation. We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 106th day of WAR in Ukraine.
Photo from Borodyanka, small town northwest of Kyiv.
That town was not able to resist to invaders, Russians captured it easily, but it didn’t save its inhabitants from atrocities and the town from mass destruction.
Now the life has slowly recovered there after retreat of Russian invaders from Kyiv region in the end of March.
Despite constant threat that Russians may try to attack from Belarus territory again.
Despite many buildings being totally or partially damaged.
Despite evidences of Russian war crimes all around you.
Despite air raid alerts almost every day and night.
Despite being far from “normal”.
Life is slowly recovering.
Meanwhile the war continues. It has not gone. It has not become less bloody.
Putin has not changed his plans of turning the whole Ukraine into vassal territory.
Last night Russians shelled living districts of Kharkiv, the 2nd largest Ukrainian city.
Several people were injured and 2 have died.
Because of its strategic importance and at the same time proximity to the border with russia, Kharkiv will remain the target for Russian strikes and people there will live in a constant danger.
Putin’s army continues assault against Ukrainian positions in Severodonetsk, the most eastern Ukrainian city as of now. As previously, the frontline is in the city itself.
Ukrainian forces in Severodonetks and its outskirts keep on maneuvering and causing serious casualties to assaulting forces.
There is a will and resources not to allow Russians to capture the city.
Still Ukrainian forces may withdraw in an organized manner to flatten the frontline.
The situation there is difficult, but General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine sees the whole picture and knows what is the best way to manage defensive operation.
Meanwhile Ukrainian counteroffensive actions in Kherson region may appear to be something larger than just small improvements. These attempts are largely supported by Ukrainian Air Forces (yeah, those, several times fully destroyed during first days of war according to Russian propaganda).
That forced Russians to redeploy their forces to Kherson direction to avoid massive breakthrough.
Over the time we will see more and more successful counteroffensive actions from Ukrainian forces. Fresh supplies of heavy weapons are needed to make them more efficient.
We will see Ukrainian flag over Ukrainian cities in the south and in the east again.
We are the nation. We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 107th day of WAR in Ukraine.
Yesterday during his speech in Saint-Petersburg Putin clearly explained the purpose of the war in Ukraine.
He compares himself with Peter the Great and speaks about “return and strengthen the territories”.
Being already the largest country by territory is not sufficient. Need more!
He dreams of kind of mix of the Russian Empire and USSR.
Basic value for Putin, basic principle of his existence is that he wants to be in history books as emperor, who increased the territory of his empire.
He doesn’t care about sustainable development goals, diversity and inclusion, democracy institutions, purchasing power of population, gross domestic product, well-being index, human rights, foreign investments and the rule of law.
He wants to stay in history books as great as Peter the Great, but ideally to outperform him.
All the rest can be ignored.
Thousands of killed in targeted country? He doesn’t care.
Destroyed cities, turned into rumbles? He doesn’t care.
Millions of refugees? He doesn’t care.
EU, you want to have dialog with him?
You want to trust his words when he promises something?
You want to negotiate something with him?
Wake up, all your values are nothing for him.
All your principles are considered by him as the weakness that can be used.
Putin in his desire to build new great empire can’t be stopped by diplomatic efforts or by phone calls.
He plans to announce all occupied Ukrainian territories as one new federal district of Russian Federation.
He will not stop with that, because empires need to grow and capture more and more.
He can be stopped by oil and gas embargo that will leave him without cash.
He can be stopped by coordinated actions of democratic world.
He can be stopped only when his army is fully defeated in Ukraine.
Baltic countries understand that.
Finland perfectly knows what I’m saying.
Poland remembers very well history lessons.
If you stay irrelevant, silent, if you prefer not to interfere, waiting for the problem to be solved somehow by itself, if you say “ooh, it is not clear, where the truth is”… well… you are playing in Putin’s team.
EU, you are afraid of this war. But Putin enjoys it.
This is his Bohemian Rhapsody and Sacellum Sixtinum.
This is quintessence of his 22 years in power.
We are not afraid of him.
He brought the war on our land back in 2014.
Now he is trying to finish what he started back then.
We know whom we are fighting against.
We know what we are fighting for.
We know who we are.
We are those who will put an end to Putin’s dreams about new empire.
We are the nation. We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 110th day of WAR in Ukraine.
On Feb 24, 2022 Putin’s Russia started its brutal invasion in Ukraine aiming to erase my country as an independent state from the map. Since then it has been a full scale war of two regular armies and since the first day and up until now the role of artillery is key.
So few words about it.
Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 was followed by arranging 2 pseudo-republics under full control of Kremlin in parts of Donbass and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. Putin started hybrid war.
During 2014-2015 artillery was very actively used and Ukrainian troops gained a lot of experience in using it on the battlefields.
No surprise that during next years when the situation in the east of Ukraine turned into frozen conflict, Russians tried to reduce Ukraine’s military potential as much as possible and unfortunately they succeeded.
Several Ukrainian military depots were blown up by Russians:
– Oct 2015, Svatove, Luhansk oblast.
– Mar 2017, Balakliya, Kharkiv oblast.
– Sept 2017, Kalynivka, Vinnytsia oblast.
– Oct 2018, Ichnya, Chernihiv oblast.
Because of those explosions Ukraine lost 210 thousand tons of ammunition, including most of stock of 152mm rounds for artillery.
Ukraine was not very successful in replenishing lost stocks and entered the current phase of war with serious deficit of artillery rounds.
Currently at some sections of the frontline the advantage of Russians in number of howitzers and ammunition is ten times at least.
On the other side Ukrainian artillerists are more skilled, better equipped for this type of war, far more experienced in tactics and rely on Ukraine’s domination in number of drones over the battlefields.
Different types of artillery are the weapons that cause the most damage to Russian invaders and help Ukraine to resist this aggression.
New modern 155mm howitzers, no matter self-propelled or towed, allow to reach longer range and to be much more precise. This already creates difference on some directions.
Progressive migration of Ukrainian artillery to 155mm standard will allow to benefit from unification and not to face shortage of rounds.
Some of supplied howitzers have been already destroyed in the course of military actions, because this is war, not the parade. Also as any other weapon it will run out of resource sooner or later.
All the above explains why further supplies of this kind of weapon from allies are crucial and why supplied volumes are not sufficient.
We are the nation. We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 112th day of WAR in Ukraine.
Today the 3rd meeting of Contact Group of Defense Ministers will take place in Brussels.
First meeting took place on 26 April 2022 on Ramstein Air Base.
Second one was held online on 23 May 2022.
The result of these meetings is coordinated supplies of needed weapons and equipment to Ukraine.
Other key words besides “coordinated” are “regular” and “sufficient”.
So far the last point is something where we expect major improvement.
Don’t take me wrong, already delivered supplies helped Ukraine to resist, they were vital and crucial, but in order to win we need more.
Simply because Putin’s Russia accumulated resources for this aggression for years.
The scale of military actions is large, so is the respective need in supplies.
Military cooperation is always very specific story with many rules, covenants and limitations, like for example ban to sell the weapon to a third party without validation from producing country.
Logistics is always an issue and in Ukraine’s case it is even more evident, because of ongoing military actions and constant russian attempts to interrupt the supplies by missile strikes on Ukraine’s railroads junctions, bridges and military and civil infrastructure.
Waiting for positive outcome of the meeting.
Meanwhile the frontline in Ukraine has to large extent stalled.
Invaders keep assaulting Severodonetsk, which still holds on despite Russian plans to fully encircle and capture it back in May.
Ukrainian troops have developed counteroffensive actions on Kherson direction and are reported to be less than 20km from the city.
Importance of Kherson is huge, it is the only oblast center captured by Russians, its liberation has strategic importance for Ukraine both from political and military perspective.
Invaders know it as well, so the upcoming fighting for liberation of Kherson will be heavy.
The faster the flow of supplies comes to Ukraine, the faster Ukraine will be able to shift from tactical counteroffensive operations on limited directions towards massive counteroffensive campaign to liberate occupied territories in the south and in the east.
So, Brussels, Ukrainians in occupied Kherson are waiting for your support.
We are the nation. We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 114th day of WAR in Ukraine.
Photo is made earlier this week during funeral of Yevhen Hrapko, well known Ukrainian military medic.
Since 2014 he saved lives of many Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefields and taught tactical medicine to thousands of them.
In February when Putin’s Russia started its brutal invasion he came back to the frontline again.
Now he is dead.
As well as thousands of Ukrainians who protected our country.
Almost four months fresh graves are growing all over Ukraine.
Servicemen, medics, volunteers and civilians.
Those who spent many years protecting the country.
Those who died the first day when took the weapons in hands.
Those who appeared in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Men, women and children.
Killed in one second by artillery on the battlefields.
Died slowly under the rubbles of buildings destroyed by missile strikes.
Shot in the head with arms tied in towns occupied by Russians.
Lying unnamed in mass graves near Mariupol.
Buried at home with full military honors.
Oh yes, main focus of public is on big things now.
Ramstein-3 and new promised supplies of so desperately needed weapons.
Historic visit of Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz and Mario Draghi to Kyiv.
EU candidate status for Ukraine.
Kremlin is getting crazy from all this – perfect proof this is extremely important.
But do not miss everyday people’s tragedy behind those big things.
People outside Ukraine have become tired of war.
War hurts them every day, causes inconveniences, everybody wants it to disappear from the news, people want normal life to come back. Simply tired.
A story shared with me, feel it.
Volunteers collected cash, purchased pick-up for special forces unit and delivered it to the front-line, but there is nobody left there to take it.
All guys, for whom it was purchased, died.
Tell them how you are tired of this war.
This war is full of thousands of such stories, unfortunately.
Remember Yevhen Hrapko and all Ukrainian heroes.
We are the nation. We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 117th day of WAR in Ukraine.
War in the eyes of our children.
Photo from Pokrovsk, small town in the east of Ukraine where people were waiting for evacuation train.
War is easy to hide behind figures.
Especially when the figures are huge. At some point they become too large for the brain to understand them.
War has everyone’s attention in the beginning, then it disappears from the first pages.
Especially when few months are behind and it last and lasts and lasts… while the world is full of other news besides the war.
War is not something you want to read about every day.
Especially when it happens somewhere far from you and there are much more pleasant things in your agenda.
War is easy to forget about it.
Especially if it doesn’t touch you personally, if you do not see it with your own eyes, if it is somewhere in a country you never knew before.
But the war stays in the eyes of those who saw it, who lost their beloved, who were forced to leave their homes.
On February 24, 2022 Putin’s Russia invaded Ukraine in attempt to finish what it started back in 2014 when it annexed Crimea and brought war to Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.
On February Putin’s Russia brought death, destruction and inhuman cruelty on our land.
No one in Ukraine left untouched.
Almost 4 months are behind.
People living close to frontline or who stuck on occupied territories see war’s ugly face every day.
Even though in many cities of Ukraine life now is almost back to normal (to extent it is possible during the war), the war stays in people’s eyes.
Today the war in Ukraine is as real as it was on February 24, 2022.
Putin and all his supporters still do not want Ukraine to exist as such and that leaves no space for negotiation.
If Putin stops, there will be no war. If Ukraine stops, there will be no Ukraine.
We stay strong. We fight for our freedom, our land and our children.
We are the nation. We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 120th day of WAR in Ukraine.
A step aside to talk about Ukraine’s desire to join EU.
Ukraine waits for official announcement of candidacy status.
The European Commission has already backed Ukraine’s bid and now we need all 27 EU’s members to support it.
In fact the story starts in late 2013.
Back then pro-Russian president of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych together with his pro-Russian government did everything to block signing of EU-Ukraine association agreement and instead tried to fully draw Ukraine into orbit of Russia.
Peaceful pro-European street protests in Kyiv were brutally suppressed but that lead only to their scaling up, becoming nation-wide and transforming into demands to change the regime.
Those protests has grown into Revolution of Dignity which resulted in a getaway of pro-Russian president and his fellows to Russia.
That was followed by Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.
That was followed by sponsored and managed by Russia hybrid war in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine since 2014 and up until current full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukrainians have been fighting and giving their lives for European choice for many years.
EU membership is important not because of the fact of the membership itself but because of the path Ukraine needs to take to become a true European country.
Ukraine is a young democracy and our institutions must become stronger.
Rule of law must become an evident and whole spread practice.
Oligarchs must lose their influence on processes and decisions.
Judicial and anti-corruption reforms must be accelerated to ensure qualitative breakthrough.
There will be more in the list, it is a complex of measures guiding Ukraine to evolve.
Long way ahead and a lot of hard tasks, but all that will be heavily supported by EU itself and what is crucial by Ukraine’s society.
Ukraine has proved many times it has a civil society and that is the key reason for me to believe we will succeed.
Terrible war we are living in now is not the entry ticket to EU family, but the accelerant for all the processes.
EU membership candidacy status will not stop the war.
But it is crucial to speed up changes and make them unalterable and irreversible.
We are the nation. We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 122nd day of WAR in Ukraine.
Kids on the photo raising funds for the needs of Ukrainian defenders.
The war continues, it has not gone anywhere and it has not become less bloody.
Last night several regions of Ukraine suffered from missile strikes; that was one of the most massive strikes over the past weeks with dozens of missiles aiming to target several objects of military infrastructure.
Important thing is that Russian strategic bombers took off from Russian territory but launched the missiles being over the territory of Belarus.
Just another evidence that Lukashenko, self-declared president of Belarus, is as guilty in this war as Putin.
The most severe fighting continues in the eastern part of Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from Severodonetsk, it is now under control of invaders.
Reasons for Russian progress in that area were quite simple – shorter logistic chains, huge concentration of forces, but first of all massive artillery/air strikes.
The city which used to be the home for more than 100 thousands of people is now turned into rubles.
Severodonetsk as a place where people can live does not exist any longer.
Just like other locations where invasion has been slowed down for a long term.
Organized withdrawal was a necessary measure to avoid encirclement of troops.
If everything is destroyed by heavy strikes, if all the buildings are pulverized, there is no sense to fight just for the ruined territory.
Much more important thing is to save troops, redeploy them to next equipped positions and keep on inflicting damage to invaders.
So the fighting in the eastern Ukraine continues.
Situation for Ukrainian forces there is difficult but Russians pay huge price in manpower and machinery for every kilometer and every small village they gain.
We will see some more advances and local successes of Putin’s army on that direction coming weeks.
But very soon the losses incurred will limit their ability for offensive actions and they will stuck.
Glory to all defenders of Ukraine who fight against Russian invasion!
They are supported by the whole Ukraine.
We are the nation. We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 123rd day of WAR in Ukraine.
This morning another missile strike on Kyiv.
City center woke up from air raid alert which was followed by the whistle of Russian cruise missiles and 4 explosions.
If you ever heard this sound, if you ever felt such explosion close to you, if you felt it with your skin… this is something which stays in your memory forever.
The missiles were apparently targeting Artem Plant.
Previous attack on that location was on April 28, 2022 the day when Kyiv hosted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, that was a Russian post-card for him after his visit to Moscow a day before.
That time it was 2 missiles and one of them hit an apartment building, ruined lower floors and caused casualties among civilians.
This time it was a larger scale strike.
Few missiles were hit on their way to Kyiv, but 4 missiles reached the capital.
One of them hit a 9-floor apartment building, simply destroyed its upper floors.
Rescuers arrived immediately, put out the fire and started to save people despite the threat of another strikes and ongoing air raid alert.
As of now 25 people are pulled out from the rubble, including this 7-years old girl on a photo, several people were sent to hospital.
Precise weapons you say?
Each time Russian try to target something military (or what they believe is a military object) they tend to hit civil objects and kill civilians.
Because Russians use old maps, which do not take into account new construction.
Because Russian precise weapons are far from being precise.
Because Russians simply do not care about potential casualties.
You may chose explanation you like, but in fact all of them together are truth.
When it is not Kyiv but some other city, town or village in the south or in the east of Ukraine, russians do not even try to be precise, but just massively shell it.
Like this night in Kharkiv…
Whatever Russians destroyed is declared to be a military object, Nazi training center, secret bio-laboratory, gathering of 50 Ukrainian generals, 20 bayraktars in one hangar… so no doubt Russian propaganda will easily explain that the girl on the photo was in fact a serious threat for Russia’s geopolitical interests, so she get what she deserves.
Just while I’m writing these lines we have 2 more explosions in Kyiv… missiles from the territory of Belarus…
We are the nation. We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 124th day of WAR in Ukraine.
My yesterday’s post about missile strikes on Kyiv was blocked, not for the first time btw, but hope as well as previous posts after second check it will be finally unblocked. Doesn’t matter.
More important is to share info about true heroes of this war.
Photo is made in Sloviansk, city in Donetsk oblast of Ukraine under control of Ukrainian forces, very close to frontline and already suffering from Russian air strikes.
Orthopedic surgeon removes shell fragment from the knee of injured Ukrainian defender.
Just like many other doctors and medical personnel this surgeon came to frontline hospital as a volunteer.
Just like many of his colleagues he works in a terrible conditions without rest, rarely seeing the sunlight but facing endless queue of injured people.
The war is the conveyor that supplies him with new and new patients.
Severed legs, broken arms, bodies full of shrapnel.
Sometimes it is the fight to save the life, sometimes it is the fight to save the limbs.
To appear in his hands is bad luck and good luck at the same time.
Bad because you suffered from Russian strike.
Good because in hands of this doctor you still have some chances.
For these two, the soldier and the surgeon, there is no difference what was announced during G7 yesterday or what is the agenda of the President of Moldova during her visit to Kyiv today.
They do their job.
The former protects our country, the latter saves lives.
One of the results of this war will be a huge number of people with disability.
Those who suffered from mines, artillery strikes, bullets and military unsanitary conditions.
Those who survived protecting our freedom.
The role of the state and NGOs is to help them to return to normal life.
The role of society is to support them in all possible ways.
The face of war is ugly.
This surgeon knows it perfectly.
He keeps on doing his job despite being deadly tired, just like all his colleagues.
So, next time when you feel yourself tired of war, just recall him.
We are the nation! We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 125th day of WAR in Ukraine.
Today is also the Constitution Day in Ukraine.
No celebration, Ukraine is still shocked by yesterday’s tragedy in Kremenchuk shopping mall destroyed by Russian missile strike which caused at least 18 Ukrainians killed and 24 being hospitalized.
Usual shopping mall in 200 thousands inhabitants city with quite standard set-up of shops inside of it – food supermarket, pharmacy, coffee shop, pet shop, home appliances shop, cafes, delivery office, toys, etc.
Obviously not a legitimate military target.
Whatever Russians wanted to target in Kremenchuk, it is another pure civil object that suffered from their strike, another one in a long queue of apartment buildings, hospitals, schools, shops and churches in many cities all over Ukraine.
Doesn’t even matter if Russians destroyed it intentionally or by mistake or because of failure of their “precise” weapons, the fact is that they did it.
But despite the tragedy I wanted to say a word about importance of this specific day for Ukraine.
Ukraine declared its independence in 1991 but few years after that it was still using non-relevant any longer constitution designed back at Soviet times.
Finally on the 28th of June 1996 Verkhovna Rada (Parliament of Ukraine) adopted new Constitution after the debates that took all day and night before.
Once again, this document was not written by one person in authority to extend or expand his own delegations, but it was voted by the legally elected Parliament after long and hot debates.
That was an essential step for Ukraine on its way to transform from post-soviet republic into independent democratic country.
For many years after that for ordinary citizen of Ukraine the Constitution Day was just an official holiday in calendar, another day-off to meet with friends and family to spend time together.
But now, during the darkest times we really understand the importance of this day.
It is perfect opportunity to remind ourselves the way we passed from declaring independence in 1991 and up until now.
It is exactly the day to remember why democratic institutions are so important.
It is exactly the day to remember that freedom is fragile and it is not for free.
It is exactly the day to remind to the world what Ukraine fights for.
It is about what kind of country we will leave to our kids.
We are the nation! We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 127th day of WAR in Ukraine.
Photo of Ukrainian firefighters after putting out the fire in Kremenchuk, where Russian missile destroyed shopping mall and caused dozens of people being killed and injured.
Rescue works continue, so the number of victims is still growing.
Last several days were full of such news, because Putin’s Russia has been making massive strikes on several Ukrainian cities – Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kremenchuk, Mykolaiv, Odesa and all the cities and towns along the frontline they could reach.
For closer distance Russians use artillery and for longer distances they launch cruise missiles from strategic bombers, ships and submarines.
The problem with those long range missiles is that now Russians primarily use old soviet-times produced ones, which were designed to strike large objects (like aircraft carrier for example) and by definition were not the precision-guided munition. Soviet military doctrine stipulated massive but not the precision strikes.
After years of “who cares” style storage those missiles have not become more precise.
Add to this the poor quality of intelligence data used by Russians.
Add to this a lack of concern for collateral damage demonstrated by Russians from the day one of this war (in fact the only thing they demonstrated was desire to kill and to destroy).
The result is that Russian long range missiles regularly target civil objects and kill civilians.
Yesterday morning one of Russian missiles targeted 5-floors house in Mykolaiv. Now half of the building has only 3 floors.
As of now the number of victims reached 6 people.
Among them 6-years old girl who died in her bed.
I spent my childhood in exactly the same 5-floors house and remember it very well. Small flat, small kitchen, narrow corridor, thin walls, hot in summer, cold in winter.
Similar houses all around, school in 5 minutes walking distance, playground in the yard.
When you play a guitar in your room, half of the house hears it together with people in nearby houses.
No basement or shelter to hide nearby.
When missile strikes such building, your chances to survive are close to zero.
Millions of Ukrainians are still living in such flats.
My parents still live in exactly the same 5-floors building in the city not far from the front-line.
Men on the photo, however brave and dedicated, will not be able to save Ukrainians from new Russian missile strikes.
We need NASAMS to protect our children from dying early morning in their beds.
We are the nation! We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 129th day of WAR in Ukraine.
During all these days I’ve received many messages with the words of support.
From people who know me well and those who didn’t know me before the war at all.
Many of you shared the stories of how you host or help refugees, supply humanitarian aid, arrange meetings of support or raise funds to help Ukrainians.
It is my time to share with you.
Few weeks ago I joined “Front-U” initiative which aims to support Ukrainian defenders.
All the people in this initiative are from Ukrainian financial sector and all of us have been supporting Ukrainian defenders since the beginning of war.
By support I mean actions such as donations, purchase of necessary equipment and its delivery to Ukrainian defenders.
“Front-U” is the team of people working in banks, insurance companies, payment systems, consulting, investment companies or dealing with finances.
For each of us this is something we do beyond our daily work in our companies.
For each of us this is the way to bring Ukraine’s victory closer.
For each of us this is personal thing.
See the faces of the team, as a nice example we have participants from VISA and MASTERCARD, natural competitors… I doubt any other goal could make them work in one team.
The truth is that we can be more effective in helping Ukrainian defenders when we act together.
We have registered the fund to ensure full transparency of all operations and to report each dollar or euro spent.
Financials of the fund will be audited.
We focus only on these 4 types of equipment we buy and deliver
– Thermal imaging drones
– Walkie-talkie
– Optics
– Tablets with “Kropyva” software
to ensure technological advantage of Ukrainian reconnaissance units over invaders on operational level. These items are always needed in big quantities.
I’m part of “FRONT-U” because I want my cash to be converted into result fast.
I’m part of this initiative because war will last many months more.
I’m part of it because I want my 2 sons to leave in peace.
https://www.front-u.com
If you can contribute or share, please do it.
We are the nation! We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 131st day of WAR in Ukraine.
One photo to explain how the harvesting campaign in Ukraine goes on these days.
Ukrainian farmers were sowing despite the war once they had such opportunity, so there is no doubt they will harvest everything they can. Tricky thing is how to deliver.
Sea trade remains blocked for Ukraine because of Russian warships presence in the Black Sea. Exports by railroad will not cover even 20% of pre-war volumes, since it is tens millions of tons. Sea is the key.
Harpoons were successfully tested, as a result Russian rescue tag “Vassiliy Bekh” instead of delivery of military equipment to captured Snake Island joined flagship of Russian fleet ”Moscow” on the sea floor, so now all Russian warships prefer to stay away from Ukraine’s coast.
Gas rigs in the Black Sea (owned by Ukraine before 2014, but then captured by Russians during times of Crimea annexation) which were full of military radar systems and also served for Russian vessels as a protective barrier were also hit by Harpoons.
Finally last week Russians were thrown away from Snake Island captured in the first days of war.
All the air defence and radar systems on the island were either damaged by Ukrainian artillery strikes guided from drones or blown up by Russians before their retreat.
Now Russians do not have control over this part of the Black Sea any longer.
Next steps will not be easy.
Mine clearance of trade routes in the Black Sea will require not only minesweepers but also small, maneuverable and well-armed boats (read Mark VI) to control the sea.
Plus modern air defense systems to make Russian aircrafts stay away.
And many smaller aspects turning together this into a complex task requiring perfect planning, a lot of time and coordinated efforts.
But it is the only option which will allow Ukraine to resume exports of grains.
Freedom of navigation is the nice concept but it will not work until we push Russians sufficiently away from the trade routes in the Black Sea.
Sad news from the east of Ukraine, our forces had to withdraw from Lysychansk in order to avoid encirclement, so currently the whole Luhansk oblast is under control of Russian invaders. Retreat is not defeat, if you saved the army you can gain back territory later.
HIMARS, even though only 4 machines were supplied so far, immediately have started to change the rules of the game. Whatever new advances Russians can make in the east of Ukraine during coming weeks, they are going to be their last material advances.
Balance of power is already changing.
We will get back our land occupied by Russian invaders.
We are the nation! We are Ukrainians!
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Today is the 134th day of WAR in Ukraine.
Photo from the Snake Island, Ukraine.
Snake Island. For most of people before the war this name was telling quite nothing but because of this war it has become an iconic place.
Russian propaganda says now that this island had no strategic importance, but Russians are lying as usual.
The island was captured by Russians during the first day of the war and they did it with the help of MOSCOW, the flagship of Russian fleet. Once again, the operation to capture the island was performed by the Russian flagship.
While being under control of Russians, this 600m long piece of rocky land was turned into military base full of radar stations and air defense systems.
It was essential element of system allowing Russians to control air and sea surface in the northwest part of Black Sea and thus it was keeping alive the threat of amphibious assault of Odesa region of Ukraine.
Now all the Russian equipment on the island has turned into scrap. Now Putin’s plans to capture Odesa and create land corridor to Transnistria, the pseudo-republic under Russian control, are not more than just dreams.
I doubt Ukraine will establish full scale garrison on the island, since it is an easy target for Russian cruise or ballistic missiles.
I will not be surprised if Russians will launch a missile on island just to destroy the flag.
Because the symbolic importance of Ukrainian flag on that small piece of land is as huge as strategic importance of the island for Ukraine.
So, whatever Russian propaganda says now, the fact that Russians were thrown away from the Snake Island shouldn’t be underestimated.
Russian propaganda now tries to make internal audience to forget about the Snake Island and about the loss of high-tech machinery on it.
Just like they want everybody to forget about MOSCOW flagship lying shattered at the bottom of the Back Sea.
Because these are evidences that the popular narrative about almighty Russian navy is just a myth.
We remember everything and everyone we lost.
We do not forgive and do not forget.
We will throw Russians away from all Ukrainian territories.
We are the nation! We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 138th day of WAR in Ukraine.
Putin’s Russia has not changed its plans of occupying most of Ukraine’s territory.
Each new day brings the sad news about Ukrainian defenders dying at the frontline.
You know them directly or via friends, colleagues, neighbors, via your circle.
That is your daily reality.
The most intensive military actions are held in the east of Ukraine, where Russian invaders push forward trying to break through another line of Ukrainian defense fortifications.
Massive artillery and air strikes, thousands of launches every day – all that turns towns and villages on the way of Russian invasion into burnt ruins and their defenders into people grey of ash, smoke and dust.
During last two weeks Ukraine has done a lot to change it.
HIMARS, even though Ukraine has got only few of them and with limited number of ammo, are already a game-changer.
More than dozen of large Russian ammo depots were destroyed with the help of HIMARS deep on occupied territories far beyond the frontline, mostly in Donetsk oblast, in locations that Russians believed were out of reach.
For Russian artillery, which relies on quantity of launches but not on precision, this becomes a serious issue. Keeping ammo within 80km distance from the frontline will result for them in another ammo depots explosions. Keeping ammo far than that or in a number of smaller depots will complicate their logistics greatly.
Previous weeks proved Russian invaders can make major advances only when they can arrange massive shelling of Ukrainian positions.
More HIMARS / M270 MLRS and sufficient ammo for them will mean that Ukraine will effectively destroy not only large but also smaller Russian ammo depots alongside all the frontline which is more than 1000 km long.
Any command center, concentration of machinery, fuel depot, air defence system or railroad junction located up to 80 km from the frontline will be effectively destroyed turning Russian logistics on occupied territory of Ukraine into nightmare.
Thanks to intelligence data provided by allies, thanks to partisan units on occupied territories, social media and drones capable to work on such distances beyond the frontline there will be no lack of targets for HIMARS on occupied Ukrainian territories.
Invaders will have to rearrange their logistics and to keep important objects far from the frontline, which will significantly reduce their offensive power and controlability of troops.
Supplies of ER GMLRS rockets with range up to 150km will mean even more issues for Russia on occupied Ukrainian territories.
Courage wins battles, logistics and resources win wars.
We are the nation! We are Ukrainians!
###
Today is the 140th day of WAR in Ukraine.
Ukrainian civilians keep on dying from Russian missile and artillery strikes in Kharkiv in the east, in Mykolaiv in the south, in dozens of towns and villages close to the frontline.
Russian artillerists do not care when they shell apartment buildings.
Putin’s Russia doesn’t care about committed war crimes.
Don’t forget that dry statistics of civilians killed because of Russian aggression in Ukraine is made of thousands personal tragedies.
Word about software produced in Ukraine that helps to resist Russian invasion.
Back in 2014 when Putin’s Russia brought the war to Donetsk and Luhanks oblasts of Ukraine, Ukrainian forces were using paper maps.
In 2014 a team of Ukrainian enthusiasts presented “Kropyva”, a software installed on Android tablets, and started to supply such tablets to army.
Initially it was designed as a detailed map with GPS positioning.
But thanks to immediate feedback from different types of users – reconnaissance, command centers, infantry, artillery, etc – the program complex evolved very fast and obtained features that now create the difference on the battlefield.
“Kropyva” allows reconnaissance units to mark Russian positions and machinery on the map. Also it is fueled by data from different sources such as drones, radar systems or sniper complexes.
The software then transmits the data to nearby artillery pieces and command centers, allowing to coordinate the fire.
All the necessary calculations for artillery units are done automatically inside the app, depending on type of howitzer and ammo used, distance, whether conditions, etc.
The time required to deploy a howitzer battery reduced down to 3 minutes, time needed to open counter battery fire to less than one minute.
“Kropyva” is the amplifier ensuring technological advantage over Russian invaders on the battlefield. It allows Ukrainian artillery which has by far lower number of howitzers and ammo to effectively resist Russian artillery and to win in artillery duels.
Tablet with “Kropyva” costs few hundred dollars only.
That allows Ukrainian army to already operate thousands of them.
Well the truth is several more thousands are needed.
Within “Front-U” initiative, that united volunteers from financial sector, we are raising now funds to purchase a large batch of tablets with “Kropyva” for reconnaissance units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. You can join.
We are the nation! We are Ukrainians!
for Earlier link please click below:
UKRAINE DIARY: From 67th Day to 102nd day of WAR
13-07-2022
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