LouBreed: Some Ukrainian music and a bit of general info

LouBreed 02.26.22	My keyboard is faulty and my English may be broken in places due to the general strain, apologies for that. Thank you for your attention.
ToSmokMuzyki 02.26.22	svitlana vesna
Sinternet 02.27.22	most balanced sput user
Sowing 02.27.22	Glad to see you're still safe LouBreed.
Assemblage 02.27.22	Ezkaton is a Ukrainian black metal band I listened to today. Their new album came out a day ago and it is pretty good.
arf 02.27.22	Cheers, stay strong & putin huilo @Assemblage Ezkaton? I saw that in my youtube suggestions, guess I should check it out
Assemblage 02.27.22	Yeah, if you like anything with black metal I would for sure suggest it. The first two songs are great and a little more downtuned I believe. I was a little distracted while listening to it today so I'm going to have to spin it again but I think it's a solid 4. I'm pretty sure it released on the 25th. Lemme know if you dig!
arf 02.27.22	Ah, the 25th... too many great releases that day.
Dedes 02.27.22	Good luck brother Hopefully you guys can resist long enough for Putin to at least get financially starved. The resistance the Ukrainians citizens are putting up is greatly admirable.
Sunnyvale 02.27.22	Good list and good info! Stay well!
Vercetti 02.27.22	Thank you! Stay safe!
LouBreed 02.27.22	Thanks everyone for your support! Despite my concerns, the night was relatively (but just relatively) peaceful in Kyiv. However, there was an attempt to breach through in Kharkiv and a failed attempt of assault landing in Odesa, as well as continued siege of Kherson, Mariupol, and several other major cities. A supposedly elite unit of Chechen troops was thrown at Kyiv - only to be decimated by artillery first and by Ukrainian ground forces later, with their asshole commander being fucking dead as of yesterday evening. Well, holding on so far.
DoofDoof 02.27.22	I was listening to ‘Hi-Tech Hate’ by Fear Factory just now and thinking they should pump it into Putin’s war room on full volume repeated…only he’d probably hear it as an anthem for the game he’s trying to play
LouBreed 02.27.22	@DoofDoof Fear Factory is a very appropriate soundtrack for such a situation. I mean, just the opening speech by Burton on Aggression Continuum does the job! The whereabouts of huilo is currently unknown. He's not in his capital, that's for sure. Hiding out somewhere in his bunker.
JohnnyoftheWell 02.27.22	Bless you for sharing this, take care and stay safe
DavidYowi 02.27.22	thank you for giving your information, I hope you, your family, and the citizens of Ukraine are able to stay safe out there
arf 02.27.22	@Assemblage Oh yeah thanks for that suggestion Ezkaton is pretty damn good
naughtcturnal 02.27.22	good luck and stay brave and safe
LouBreed 02.27.22	Another update, while the list is still visible on the main page. 1. A column of 100 tanks is heading from Zhytomyr to Vinnytsia, so my city may have to face some real fight. I'm sure the "welcoming committee" of our Armed Forces and citizen militia (territorial defense) will know what to do. So, I am not afraid. Just angry. 2. I am more worried about the South and South-East of the country. It seems like the fatherfuckers were able to capture the city of Melitopol, some cities near Mariupol (Berdiansk, Kupiansk) are in trouble, the situation remains tense around Kherson and neighboring small towns. This is also the direction on which we have the least amount of information.
Dedes 02.27.22	I heard they also blasted back open the channel leading to Sevastopol. Is that true? Apparently it was blocked up years ago in response to the invasion of Crimea to starve the Russians of resources there.
LouBreed 02.27.22	@Dedes, yes that is correct, the channel is under their control, they've managed to capture it on the first or second day. They've assembled quite a bit of force on Crimea over the years, so naturally, it's hard to repel invasion from there. Our South and East are under a lot of pressure, I think we need to relocate additional forces there. We'll see how fast our commanders will be able to react.
Dewinged 02.27.22	Best of luck out there Lou, there's not an hour I don't think about the hardships you guys are facing. Putin will pay for this somehow, the world is with you and your people. Stay strong and stay safe!
Dedes 02.27.22	Yeah I figured as much. I know Putin states that this war is over "Ukrainian nazism" (which is ofc laughable bullshit) but the fact it's something as paranoid as his fear over NATO and his boner for the natural gas shales found in the black sea and some parts of Ukraine really makes this even more pitiable. All this because he's afraid of losing a fraction of power. You guys are doing a damn good job holding off. The balls of the average Ukrainian citizen could probably kill someone alone rn
LouBreed 02.28.22	Thank you, guys! Another update as per fresh briefing of President Office advisor Mr. Arestovich (from like, 40 minutes ago). I'm going to focus on the most problematic directions (everywhere else the situation as of right now is at least stable, at best the unclefuckers are either stopping or retreating): 1. Alongside the Crimean channel we've lost some of the towns around Kherson, which is under serious fire. For now, it is logistically hard to launch a counter-offensive there. 2. Kupiansk is almost certainly captured, as well as Melitopol, but our forces are taking measures to regain control (we'll see how it will play out). Berdiansk is also occupied, and the weirdest part is that, in the words of Mr. Arrestovich himself, no Ukrainian troops were stationed there. The putincocksuckers were able to just waltz into a city full of civilians. No explanation was provided, but at least our official channels are not lying about the cities we've lost. 3. Smaller towns in Donetsk/Luhansk region, such as Shchastia and Volnovakha are facing the most hardships, as they are heavily shelled and face shortages of energy, food, and other resources. Humanitarian help is needed there. 4. It seems like putin is dragging Belarus along, forcing lukashenko to give his troops an order to attack. They are relatively few in numbers and I doubt they'll be highly motivated, still, we have to expect some troubles on our Northern borders in the morning. 5. As for the dickhead-in-chief himself, if you watch his recent videos (especially the one where he calls on the Ukrainian army to overthrow the government), it becomes obvious that he is clinically insane, simple as that.
Storm In A Teacup 02.28.22	I’m praying for you guys and hoping that the best possible help is relieved for Ukraine and that Russia is stopped. I have been following Putin and this quote from him in 2018 is scary and telling, in response to if he is worried about being assassinated, “no I am not worried, a man destined to hang does not drown”. Russians need to stop him.
LouBreed 02.28.22	Ok, another update. I see that admins keep my list afloat on the main page, so thanks for that. 1. So far the assholes failed to occupy any major city, but managed to capture several smaller towns in the east and south of the country. This is due to various factors, such as lack of air defense systems there, sabotage and stupidity of asshole mayors from pro-russian party "opposition platform - for life" and our generals being focused on defending Kyiv and other major cities. What can be done about it? Well, should we retain the strategic initiative, we should be able to recapture those border towns eventually. Should things go sour - that would be problematic. 2. The dickhead is devouring Belarus via a faux referendum. Once they are done with formalities, I guess, the Belarussian army will be ordered to attack. What does that mean? Well, honestly, the very notion of a Belarussian army is, to put it mildly, absolutely ridiculous. I doubt they'll make a difference, although deployment of any additional forces would certainly mean more deaths of our soldiers and civilians 3. This one is important. Pentagon reported that they've got America covered in case of a nuclear strike. I guess that most of Europe are protected as well. As for Ukraine itself, our best chance is to rely on Turkish nuclear defense systems. I hope they are standing guard.
Dewinged 03.01.22	Thanks for the updates. It seems Russia intensified the attacks just as conversations ended. I had zero hopes that those were gonna be fruitful but bombing and shooting civilians while there are delegations speaking is just insanity. Putin has gone truly mad.
TheTripP 03.03.22	Hope to see some updates soon from you, this is such a tragedy and I hope Ukraine and it's people show Russia what fear truly looks like!
dedex 03.03.22	Oh shit, just saw this list. Hope you stay safe man.
LouBreed 03.04.22	Ok, here's a quick update. As always I'm focusing on the most problematic aspects in terms of the current military situation. If I'm not mentioning Kyiv or Kharkiv, it doesn't mean that everything is sunshine and ponies in there, but it means that they're holding on. For example, my own Vinnytsia is shielded by Kyiv and Zhytomyr, which allows me to enjoy relative comfort and to write updates here instead of skulking somewhere in a basement. 1. The situation remains exceptionally difficult in the south and southeast. Particularly, Mariupol as of now is surrounded by enemy troops and the humanitarian situation in there is simply atrocious. By that I mean a severe shortage of the most basic necessities, such as food, as well as constant and relentless shelling of any and all buildings. 2. They've managed to sort of capture Kherson, which is our first major regional center to fall. Life won't be easy for the occupants, as today's staged giveaway of "humanitarian assistance" was a complete fiasco, with locals shouting "Glory to Ukraine!" and "Russian warship, fuck off!" while refusing to even come close to the "humanitarian" trucks. Still, the city is controlled by the enemy, and it will be difficult to retake it. 3. The situation is relatively stable near Chernyhiv, but it is unclear whether or not the Belarussian troops are already in the game. Should they interfere, they may turn the tide in favor of the suckers, at least for a short time. 4. Now this one is extremely important. Yesterday they used fucking TANKS against the biggest nuclear power station in Ukraine! There was fire, which, thankfully, was quickly put out. Still, the station and the city of Energodar are now controlled by the enemy, so who knows what might happen. Just ONE unit blew up in Chernobyl in 1986. Here we've got SIX of them! putin may be able to provoke a nuclear holocaust for the whole Europe even without firing his own nukes. So, this is how it goes for now. If anyone is still interested, I'll write here semi-regularly for as long as I can. Thank you for your support, everyone!
TheTripP 03.04.22	still boggles my mind why their strategy would be to blow up a nuclear station when he wants Ukraine to be apart of Russia... I would think he would want it intact... but I am happy you are as good as you can be. Stay strong
DANcore 03.04.22	Y’all have balls of steel. I’ve been truly moved by the courage and unity exhibited by your people. Please do keep this list updated. All the best
LouBreed 03.06.22	Ok, another update. 1. The military situation remains the harshest in the south and southeast of Ukraine. Particularly, Mariupol is encircled by enemy troops and heavily shelled. The city is basically obliterated by now, and the humanitarian situation is atrocious. Two attempts were made to evacuate civilians as per existing agreements with the russians on humanitarian corridors. However, the enemy refuses to honor their own guarantees and continues bombings even at the pre-agreed ceasefire time, which renders evacuation impossible. 2. They are holding on to Kherson and advancing towards Mykolaiv and Odesa, which is important, as should they succeed there and in Mariupol, they could simply cut-off the whole shoreline of Ukraine. We can only hope that our armed forces have enough resources and skills to prevent that. 3. Having huge troubles with Kyiv, the cocksuckers decided to concentrate their fire on smaller towns around our capital. The nice, peaceful, and picturesque towns, such as Irpin, Bila Tserkva or Gostomel do not possess advanced air defense system that our major cities have and as such are increasingly vulnerable to air assaults. Today, the whole family of a husband, a wife and two children was killed at once by a bomb in Irpin, while trying to reach a shelter. It is the same in every other direction - unable to capture Chernihiv, Sumy or Kharkiv, the enemy resorts to terrorizing the smaller towns around. We really need NATO to cover the skies for us, if not directly, then at least by providing us some planes/fighter jets. It would have been sufficient. We are handling russian ground forces more or less adequately, so instead of fighting our soldiers face to face the enemy "fights" our civilian population, squares and buildings. Ukraine needs help. Thank you for yo attention!
naughtcturnal 03.07.22	im not one to wish death on anyone ever nor believe in death penalties or violence but putin needs one right between the eyes. nothing else to do about pure evil. Will continue checking daily for updates. Continue to stay safe, we are all thinking about you
Deathconscious 03.07.22	I think Drudkh being nazis is what makes them assholes, seems quite a bit worse than playing shows in Russia... Cool list though. Somali Yacht Club is a great Ukrainian band.
Dedes 03.07.22	Man I really hope NATO eventually comes to the consensus to send some sort of real military aid. The fact that the U.S vetoed against blocking off Russian military airspace from NATO locations makes me feel almost ashamed. You think the Russian army can sufficiently hold out however? From what I know so far it seems like they're having a hard time actually sustaining the battle and that the soldiers are resorting to looting stores just to have sufficient food. I also saw that the Ukrainian military has been specifically targeting Russian fuel tanks which is definitely an incredibly smart move.
LouBreed 03.07.22	@Dedes We are cutting off their supplies (may Turkey be blessed forever for providing us with the fucking Bayraktars, these drones do wonders with columns of enemy machinery and fuel tanks!) and their logistics and supply are laughably bad. Basically, they jammed our roads with their own bombed, broken or out-of-fuel machinery and they were not given enough food to last even for a week. This and heavy losses led to them stopping or slowing down almost everywhere apart from the directions I listed in my previous update. They still maintain air superiority, though, and their ground forces are still dangerous wherever they retain the ability to move forward, especially in the south. @Deathconscious Drudkh is just an underground bm band, I think you are overestimating their appeal and coverage within the country. They are, basically, sputcore. I'm not going to start the whole "nazi" discussion here since that would blow up the thread. I'm no expert in bm ideology, since I barely ventured beyond Arcturus and my main go-to genres are mathcore and progressive metal. I am here specifically to report the current military situation to anyone concerned.
rellik009 03.07.22	isn't jinjer kinda brave for performing in Russia despite being Ukrainian? they're pulling a sort of middle finger to borders no?
rellik009 03.07.22	power to the ukrainian people and the dissident russians fighting against putin
LouBreed 03.07.22	@rellik009 Are you saying that if, for instance, Canada invaded the USA, artists from the USA would've performed in Canada just for the sake of "pulling middle finger to borders"? I do not think so. Anyway, thank you for your support!
rellik009 03.07.22	well what I meant is that they are technically performing for dissident Russians, in support of peace, to counteract or protest the divisions caused by Putin, if you see what i mean? but whatever maybe I'm wrong. stay safe broski
LouBreed 03.07.22	@rellik009 Nah, they're not playing shows specifically for the dissidents, they're performing for the general public in russia. Not just them, a lot of Ukrainian artists (used to) do that. This is not bravery, just cash-grabbing. Some people in Ukraine are (were) tolerant towards that, but I personally am not.
ToSmokMuzyki 03.08.22	guys putins so severely pissed off the world he was officially stripped of his meme, and i cant think of a worse punishment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKsndLAgUqw&ab_channel=absol505
Dedes 03.08.22	@smok That amused me more than it should have
rellik009 03.08.22	"This is not bravery, just cash-grabbing. Some people in Ukraine are (were) tolerant towards that, but I personally am not." idk i think ur being a bit too harsh on them, but fair enough ig
Deathconscious 03.08.22	"Are you saying that if, for instance, Canada invaded the USA, artists from the USA would've performed in Canada" Some wouldnt. I might, depending on the general attitude of Canada's population. If the invasion was unpopular and pretty much only Trudeau wanted it, yeah i would probably play there.
anarchistfish 03.08.22	All I know is you guys always kill eurovision
ToSmokMuzyki 03.08.22	wtf why is the only country thats never started a war suddenly invading a country 10x the pop with the most powerful military and why tf do u want to perform for trudeau smh
Deathconscious 03.08.22	Thats irrelevant to the hypothetical question, and obviously im not talking about playing a show for Trudeau, but youre probably joking.
ToSmokMuzyki 03.08.22	considering the reality of the world is irrelevant...? thought u were saying u'd only play if trudeau wanted it lmao
Deathconscious 03.08.22	Do you not understand how hypotheticals work? The point of the question is to see how we would react if we were in a similar situation to the one in Ukraine. Nobody thinks it would actually happen, and the likelihood of it happening is irrelevant in this case, yes.
LouBreed 03.08.22	Ok, I'm going to provide some illustrations and additional materials for the points I'd like to make in this update, instead of big chunks of plain text. 1. Mariupol is in dire situation. Two attempts of evacuation were blocked by the enemy bombings. Help is needed urgently. Basically: https://ibb.co/9qSz5Mh 2. They are mounting the attack at Mykolaiv, hoping to build up on their success with Kherson. We'll see about that: https://ibb.co/hZ1Pk6Q 3. Elsewhere the enemy's ground forces are mostly regrouping and leaking their wounds. I hope our army will be able to use this situation to our advantage, before the russians bring in whatever reinforcements they have. 4. If you are curious, here's a link to an article in English, which describes putin's plans for Ukraine should his invasion be successful. This is, basically, a recount of a russian propaganda article published and then deleted on February 26 (apparently they thought that Ukraine will already be conquered by then): https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/inside-vladimir-putins-criminal-plan-to-purge-and-partition-ukraine/ That is all for today. As always, thank you for your kind words! I'll see you in a while, should the situation remain stable at least in my city.
ToSmokMuzyki 03.08.22	??? first off dunno why ur so serious lmao i was merely poking fun at the absurdity of such a situation given that it would be a far more effective analogy of the US attacking canada since canada invading the us would be like ukraine deciding to try taking on all russia but far, far worse. evidently u dont understand how they work lmao and in that much more sensical analogy would we canadians still perform in the us? hell fucking no we'd be telling u to go fuck yourselves up until u captured ottawa less than 24 ours later bc we have little bitch trudeau instead of giga chad zelensky actually now that i think about it we'd be welcoming u with open arms to go ahead and take it tbh...hmm but then we'd have brandon for president prob an even worse situation nvm anyway my main point being wide zelensky > thin putin > pussy hat trudeau > caring home patient
Deathconscious 03.09.22	"it would be a far more effective analogy" If those things were relevant to the hypothetical, sure, it would be. Either could work though. The only relevant part is Canada wrongly invading the USA, the rest is not needed to make it work. Youre not getting the point.
ToSmokMuzyki 03.09.22	jesus u thicker than nicki minaj idk why i try
LouBreed 03.09.22	@Deathconscious at the moment the general mood of "the government wants the war, but the people don't" can be clearly detected in Belarus, where direct involvement of the Belarussian army is sabotaged and delayed by any possible means. I'm not saying that it won't happen (putin is desperate to force lukashenko's hand in this), but the people of Belarus are doing what they can to prevent it. At the same time, people in Russia welcomed the Crimea annexation overwhelmingly and cheered during further expansion of the invasion to Donetsk and Luhansk regions. So, after 2014, any Ukrainian band performing in russia is performing in front of the public that voiced overwhelming support towards annexation of parts of Ukraine and killing of thousands of Ukrainian people (around 10 000 Ukrainians died as a result of the invasion that started in 2014, even before the current full-scale assault was launched). @Smok Just cool down.
Deathconscious 03.09.22	Good points, i was also under the impression that the majority of Russians didn't support the invasion, but after a quick search, it looks like that might not be the case.
beefshoes 03.09.22	The Russian state is cancer, and most of the Russians that I befriended from my time in Austria and Hungary hate Putin and don't support the war. Genuinely wondering about how much support Putin actually has, given how unreliable data and statistics are. I figure that he probably still appeals to a lot of nationalists, the far-right, and most Orthodox given his political relationship with the church. No idea about younger people or the class dimensions.
LouBreed 03.09.22	@beefshoes This is a hard question, which nobody can answer for sure, as any statistics provided by official russian agencies are indeed worthless, but there is no alternative, apart from some Internet polls. Anyway, what matters is the number of russians who are ready to actively voice their protest against the war, and those are not numerous enough to cause any real trouble to putin, although some do try to protest.
Voivod 03.10.22	If the Turkish drones - and Ukraine's arsenal in general - are so effective, how come no attack has been attempted at the large Russian convoy outside Kiev? Why doesn't Ukraine attack the Russian convoy? And other questions https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60617145
LouBreed 03.10.22	@Voivod this column is a couple of days old, I think something was done about it by now. Anyway, the main strategy is to attack their fuel supplies, so said column is unable to move forward and most vehicles it consists of are abandoned. Another important article: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/not-just-putin-most-russians-support-the-war-in-ukraine/
Dedes 03.16.22	https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60749064.amp This is actually immensely uplifting. The fact that members from major news channels are even protesting makes me belief this will dissolve things from the inside.
TheTripP 03.16.22	I think like 70% of Russia is pro war, so that will be a hard feat... but we can all hope that is the case eventually
Dewinged 03.16.22	Pro war? They don't even know what is happening!
TheTripP 03.16.22	Based on interviews and videos I have seen I disagree pretty hard on that. They know something is happening for sure, they just think it's other countries' fault for their lack of supplies and food. Also thinking they are attacking a Neo-Nazi Ukraine that is evil. Though it is mostly the older generations, young Russians aren't as easily mislead thanks to the internet (or what is left of it there).
LouBreed 03.16.22	Guys, I'll do another update within the next couple of days. For now, I'll just try to clear some things that seem to be of some interest to you. @Voivod About that column. I did some digging. The problem is that russia still has air superiority, so we use our planes and drones sparingly in quick jabs and ambushes executed by a couple of units, as opposed to prolonged bombings with the involvement of some kind of flying armada (which we do not have). So, hapless as it is, that column is a tough bite to chew for us, if taken at once. For now, it is dispersed, which is both a blessing and a curse, as the vehicles that moved within it will be harder to find (those that are still operational) but easier to deal with when detected.
LouBreed 03.16.22	@Dedes There's something odd about that performance on the Russian state channel, but I'm a bit lost here since it's well beyond my area of expertise. Hence, no further comments from me on that matter to avoid feeding you with disinformation/unreliable and opinion-based data instead of facts.
LouBreed 03.16.22	@Aaron, @Dewi Normally, I'd be the first to say "don't trust the official Russian polls!" BUT in this case, their data correlates with what's actually happening. I have a friend who lives in Donetsk, which is occupied by Russia since 2014 and lives on a russian propaganda diet ever since. So, my friend is pro-Ukraine himself, and he tries to persuade others that russian TV lies to them, but his efforts are futile. People there treat words of putin and his minions as the holy truth and the truth alone. I'm getting similar feedback from russia itself, including cases of people who supported Navalny before the invasion, but now are engaged in patriotic fervour. The general pro-war hysteria is, of course, fueled by the state. Case in point: they forced some terminally ill children from a hospis in Kazan to line up in such a way that they formed the letter "Z" in support of russian army: https://antikor.com.ua/foto/articles_foto/2022/03/05/524836.jpg My point of view still stands: russians are collectively responsible for the ongoing war, not just putin. He enjoys overwhelming popular support for 22 years.
Lord(e)Po)))ts 03.16.22	Hang in there buddy
Dedes 03.26.22	How things going in Ukraine? Any progress or are things still looking sour? I know things are starting to collapse from the interior financially but idk much about the progress of the invasion atm
Dewinged 03.26.22	The Ukrainian army seems to have recovered some ground and they sunk a ship, sending others to flee. @Aaron @Lou yes, that's what I mean. They don't know what is REALLY happening, the real reason behind Russian occupation, etc, they just believe and support what they have been instructed to. It's really hard to see.
ToSmokMuzyki 03.26.22	this just in, zelensky far more talented at piano than putin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hav7yyeWFOg&ab_channel=BobcatRacer
Voivod 03.26.22	Some articles that stuck with me, and are relevant to LooBreed's reports. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/putin-russian-political-deterioration/626966/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/02/putin-chooses-forever-war/622875/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/american-volunteer-foreign-fighters-ukraine-russia-war/627604/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/putin-doesnt-realize-how-much-warfare-has-changed/627600/
LouBreed 03.26.22	Yo, guys! I am currently on a trial period at my (hopefully) new daily job and I'm also doing night shifts as a volunteer (translator in both cases), so had no time for updates for a while. Now it's an air raid siren here, so I'll kill some time typing. Here's how it goes: 1. The assholes lost the initiative on MOST, but not ALL directions of their initial multi-pronged assault. They are forced to switch to defense mode and our army is pushing them back slowly, retaking village by village. Most importantly, the russians aren't even in full control of Kherson now, which is the only major city they've managed to take so far. However, we only can do localized counterattacks, instead of general offensive, as the fatherfuckers still have air superiority and advantage in manpower (by sheer numbers that is, not by quality). So, it's still guerilla tactics for us. Ambushes, rapid air rides, butchering their supplies. All in all, we are starting to advance, but it will take some time and we're in for a long haul. 2. The problematic combat zones, where the enemy still hasn't run out of steam are the following: - of course, Mariupol. We are evacuating several thousands of people from there every day, but the suckers won't allow our humanitarian convoys into the city to help those who are still stuck in there. In military terms, they have the numbers on their side over there (about 12-14 thousand of them versus circa 3 000 of us), and they've managed to advance into some parts of the city, but do not control it completely as of now. It is difficult to send any reinforcements there for several reasons, so deblocking the city is not possible in the nearest future. However, the forces that we have there fight twice as valiantly as the rest of us and are still able to inflict considerable damage on the enemy. - There is a double-edged problem with the enemy assault on Kharkiv and Luhansk/Donetsk regions. While failing to make any difference at Kharkiv, the invaders shifted their attention to the smaller city of Izyum nearby. It has considerable strategic importance, as should the cocksuckers succeed at taking it, they might be able to join their forces with those russian units that are pressing on the smaller cities in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, thus putting our troops that are defending Popasna, Rubizhne, Mariupol and several other smaller cities under additional pressure. However, so far Izyum is holding on, although some parts of the city and some nearby villages are occupied.
LouBreed 03.26.22	So, the three directions in which russian ground forces are still able to conduct offensive operations are Mariupol, Luhansk region and Izyum. Elsewhere they are either in full-on defense mode or their attempts to advance are fairly miserable. However, they are still able to strike our cities randomly with bombs and rockets. This is where we need some help from the West. I believe that eventually, such help will come one way or another, but for now this is our weak link (although not hopelessly weak, we're already able to repel their attacks from the sky to some extent).
LouBreed 03.26.22	4. There is another issue that I wanted to highlight. It has absolutely no strategical importance, but it breaks my heart. There is a private zoo in a small village of Demydiv in Kyiv region (Here's its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/12.org.ua). The problem is that the village is currently completely cut off from the world, with all bridges leading to it blown up and russian troops completely surrounding it and refusing to allow any humanitarian assistance into the village. So, rhinos and monkeys, giraffes and hyppos are slowly dying of cold and hunger, and nobody seems to be able to do anything about it. It's not about the money, as we are making some donations, but the owners of the zoo simply have nowhere to go to buy the sufficient amount of food to feed the animals and fuel to keep them warm. And it's been like this almost for a month. Some of the animals are already dead. Cases like this are the reason why I'm furious whenever anyone says that it's just about putin and his madness while the russians themselves are fine chaps suffering due to the sanctions. Whatever russian troops are stationed around Demydiv, they are actually far away from putin's reach, and it would do them no harm to show some kindness and let humanitarian assistance through. But they choose to be cruel. As does most of Russia, from what I see.
Dedes 03.27.22	Honestly I think anyone who's fighting on the side of Putin is morally inept and unfortunately indoctrinated into a ridiculous support. I'm glad that there are a fair few Russians who do not think this way but those who do still hold rational for Putin do not have interest in human lives, much less animals. Also @voivod that link about the journalist who turned around on Putin was actually a bit...hopeful? It definitely helped me understand the initial supporting considering the shitshow the Russians crawled out of.
arf 03.29.22	So. What's your opinion on Russia apparently starting to back off quite significantly during the most recent talks? Realization that they fucked up and are scrambling to at least present it as some kind of pyrrhic victory to the bloodthirsty supporters at home? Or attempt to regroup and backstab later? Also, I discovered this group, in similar vein to Тінь Сонця you've posted: so reminds me a bit of the energy of some of the stuff Yugoslav wars have generated (ahem Thompson ahem): ШАБЛЯ-Браття Українці: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_f2rlEsb8A
LouBreed 03.29.22	@arf 1. The current negotiations are sham mirrors. Any real negotiations will be accompanied by AT LEAST a ceasefire. Currently, the russians launched a savage missile attack on various Ukrainian cities today, right after the negotiations' round was over. The real talks will not start until russia exhausted its resources completely, and their results will depend on what the battlefield will look like by then (for example, whether or not russia will be able to capture Mariupol and keep Kherson). Whatever was said today by both parties can be unsaid at any moment. So, what matters is not what they say, but what they do. What russians are apparently doing is regrouping by way of relocating their ground forces from Kyiv/Chernihiv to the southwest of Ukraine, where they've had the most tangible success and advantage in terms of manpower. This is a highly dangerous move. 2. As long as putin and his clique are in power (and maybe even as long as russia exists within its current borders and has the nukes) any future agreement, should it be signed tomorrow or within several months, will represent BOTH an attempt to present some kind of pyrrhic victory to the audience at home for the nearest future (oh, if only you could read the comments and see the BUTTHURT raging amongst the loyal putinoids on account of the current developments!) and an attempt to regroup and backstab for the later. Just as there was a second Chechen war after the first one, I am ABSOLUTELY positive that there will be a second russian invasion in Ukraine within no more than two years after the signing of the hypothetical agreement. With this in mind, it is important for the West to not fall for sweet Russian promises once again and to keep at least the current sanctions in place. Not because I want the ordinary russians to suffer (although, to be honest, I sort of do), but because even the already introduced sanctions are forcing the russians to stop production of new tanks and rockets due to lack of the necessary parts and technologies. Oh, and the risk of a nuclear strike or (more likely, usage of some asshole chemical weapons) still remains now and will remain even after any agreement will be signed. So, my message to both fellow Ukrainians and the European partners is this: do not fall into despair, but be vigilant!
LouBreed 03.29.22	@arf again I'm actually highly intolerant towards Manowar-style cheese, especially when I (unfortunately) can understand the lyrics ;). But I compiled the list not to reflect solely my own tastes, but to represent the relative diversity of the Ukrainian music scene, venturing beyond the BM of Drudkh and Nocturnal Mortum (they seem to be widely if grudgingly enjoyed on Sputnik, but I myself have barely heard of them). So, I'm glad if you liked anything on this list and went along to discover some similar stuff.
Voivod 04.03.22	How To Make Sense of Russia's War on Ukraine https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2022/04/ukraine-russia-war-questions-answers/627596/
Voivod 04.05.22	If anything, article below corroborates what LouBreed wrote about Russia's adherence to a future peace accord: A Neutral Ukraine Is a Dangerous Idea https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/04/ukraine-neutrality-peace-agreement-finland/629473/
LouBreed 04.05.22	Thank you, Voivod! Seems like I should read more of The Atlantic, these are fairly competent materials! Unfortunately, it seems like we're diving headlong into exactly what this last article warns us against. For those of you who are accustomed to consuming information in audiovisual form, here's a recount by a Westerner who left Ukraine just before the war and is now coming BACK here to help us (it is unclear whether he'll be fighting or doing some other things like volunteering/information coverage): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGs0zJh7g-k
Voivod 04.16.22	https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2022/04/zelensky-kyiv-russia-war-ukrainian-survival-interview/629570/
Dedes 04.16.22	Unfortunately this is a reminder that there is no legitimate victor here. Only a greater and lesser loser. I understand his frustrations with the EU. It seems as if they're going to play passively until things escalate to beyond the Ukrainian border.
Voivod 04.17.22	^^ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/04/ukraine-russia-weapons-supply-shortage/629560/ @LouBreed Can you see this documentary and give some context about it? https://youtube.com/watch?v=2ydogQdG2-Q
LouBreed 04.18.22	@Voivod. I opened the link and it stated that the video is not available in my country (wtf). If you'd care to download it and send to me a link on WeTransfer or something like that, I'll watch it within a week (the email is hans.m.kaisen18@gmail.com) That is, if you really are interested in hearing my opinion.
Voivod 04.24.22	^^Try this one: https://takflix.com/en/films/mariupolis Let me know if that doesn’t work for you as well.
Heythereman 04.24.22	If it can happen to Ukraine, it will happen to you
LouBreed 04.25.22	@Voivod Takflix is a Ukrainian service, so no problems with access should arise here, I'll write my impressions down in the comments here or in a separate list.
conesmoke 06.04.23	I sent the Kremlin an e-message via their website asking Vladimir to please disarm, if he disarms other nations will be so shocked they might follow suit. Must the world live in the shadow of atomic fear? It's not much, at all, it's close to nothing, but it's something. Sure it's ignorant, but so is war, hate religion and plenty else we all hold stock in. Can't bring myself to donate dollars while nations spend billions on weapons. Human kind's a rough gem in need of a good polish