June 22: the Day We Never Forget

It was a nice and quiet Sunday morning of June 22, 1941, when Hitler started the most terrible and devastating war our great country ever experienced.

In just days "The Sacred War" became kind of an unofficial anthem of the fighting Soviet people.

Multilingual titles included.

The meaning of the War for us Russians (including Ukrainians and Belorussians, for the matter) is often underestimated by the Westerners.

According to the state statistics (the accounting lasted for decades, and seems unfinished till now), the Hitlerites, their satellites and collaborators intentionally killed 7,420,379 civilians on the occupied territory uf the USSR. More than 1.7 million of Soviet Ostarbeiters died in the 3rd Reich, and 450+ thousands of those who survived, did not return back; the country lost them all. Approximately 4.1 million of civilians died on the occupied territory due to unbearable conditions of the regime installed (hunger, diseases, lack of medical assistance, etc.). Thus, for the USSR the "New Order" cost was at least 13.7 millions of civilians alone.

The war led to a considerable increase of child mortality; extra 1.3 million children born during the War, did not survive it (calculated on the base of death mortality in 1939-1940).

To save the Motherland, 8,668,400 soldiers gave their lives.

Taking into account demographic losses, we come to the unthinkable figure of 26.6 million people — and it's the lowest possible strictly scientific calculation.

This was in fact a genocidal war. Quite possibly, the very collapse of the USSR in 1991 became a postponed consequence of it.

Even now I tend to stand up when hearing the song above — just like the people do in the video, my fingers make fists, and tears come to eyes. And I am a grandson of those who fought and survived the War.

The war we understandanly call the Great Patriotic. And my feeling is that we will never forget it — as long as Russia exists, as long as there are Russians (of all 190+ ethnicities) in Russia.

Human Odessa Cries: Set Vladimir Grubnik Free!

Address of Odessa Human Rights Activists
Concerning Surgeon Vladimir Grubnik

Arrested by the SBU on a Charge of Terrorism

Here goes the full transcript of what the girl says in Russian.

Human rights activists of the city of Odessa are pledging to spread around information on the horrible fate of an Odessa local, whose only fault is that he did not accept categorically the anti-human and lawless political regime in the territory of present Ukraine.

The matter is that Vladimir Yuriyevich Grubnik was brutally arrested in Odessa on October 19, 2015. Grubnik is a candidate of medical sciences, a professor of the Odessa National Medical University, a surgeon of the Odessa City Clinical Hospital No. 11, and a member of the European Association of Endoscopic Surgery.

The Ukrainian authorities charge him with participation in terrorist activity, though he denies this guilt completely. Being arrested, Vladimir was badly beaten; it is visible on photographs, which are attached to the published material. It was followed by methods of physical abuse, content in a punishment cell. At the same time, to the best our knowledge, Vladimir Grubnik has developing symptoms of  tuberculosis, which he suffered before.

#protectDrGrubnik

The Icon of Grief

I have waited for some days, to have my feelings somehow settled a bit.

It was yesterday that my country had an official mourning for victims of the (still) unclear Metrojet A321 crash over the Sinai Peninsula that took away 224 lives in a terrible minute or so on October 31.

But for all those who lost their friends and relatives, grief, sorrow and mourning will last; sometimes for ever.

This photo of 10 months old Darina Gromova was uploaded to Vkontakte 15 days before the crash, when the young and happy family of Gromovs headed to Egypt from Saint-Petersburg, to spend an unforgettable two weeks vacation. The baby was wondering at those huge white metal birds. Mom Tatiana called her "the chief passenger"; so she was on their flight back, the youngest one aboard.

We do not see her face; we needn't. The image leaves enough space for us to think, and mourn those gone. We are waiting for the moment the baby looks back, in the camera, but at the same time we are afraid of this moment: we're afraid to see the face of someone we know and love. But she will never look back...

In just two days the image became the icon of grief and sorrow. She could be any nation and race; people are the same human beings, and share the same emotions.

I am sure for many people around this image will remain the image of the year... Or life. Just because it's story makes it a true symbol of the pure human sorrow. And sorrow, empathy, compassion are the things that make human beings humane.

Rest in peace, you little angel. Your life was short as a spark's flight; but it looks like it has made the world a little bit brighter.

I hope.

Shall We Know the Truth?

Having looked through a recent publication in the Busineee Insider, I came to a question I cannot find any answer myself.

Just have a look yourself at those wonderful Stratfor images.

You see, it's almost impossible to hide anything from the powerful space eyes.

RFE/RL Has Gone Too Far

Today is September 1.

Among many events, that happened in history on this day, it was 11 years ago that a group of terrorists captured hundreds of schoolchildren and some adults oin the town of Beslan (North Ossetia/Russia).

Here is how the RFE/RL, "Radio Svoboda" remembers this bloody event.

The text accompanying a photogallery of Andrey Korolev, is pretty short, just two sentences.

On Septemder, 1 it will be 11 years since terrorists captured hostages in school No. 1 of Beslan (North Ossetia). Three days later as a result of the assault on the school, 314 hostages were killed, including 186 children.

1 Year to Odessa Massacre

One year ago Ukrainian Nazis arranged a bloody burning massacre in one of the most beautifil cities at the Black Sea — Odessa.

Those who still went on talking about the "Revolution of Dignity" after THAT are just dumb fucks shortsighted idiots paving way to power for Nazis of all kinds and lands with their own hands.

The Ukrainian Chronicles. Peace.

For about a month the border guards let his Ford Transit pass almost without examination, so Serge didn’t worry except for a slight pain in his gut, like the beginning diarrhea. “It doesn’t matter,” he thought to himself. “The main thing is to make myself believe that this is a normal trip.”
The familiar lieutenant, Alex, asked him to open the van, looked through the empty rusted space with some laminate, cans of paint and film-wrapped carpets piled up closer to the cabin, and took two bags standing at the door.
Something gurgled in the bags, the end of a raw smoked sausage poked out.
“You can go, Sergey Nikolaevich.”
“Thanks, Alex.”
To each his own.

Serge didn’t race, though he had a strong wish. Sometimes he even slowed down as if trying to bring to reason his heart clattering forte, and his thoughts that took already away all the distance. Quiet, man, calm down. There’s no place to hurry.
In Gorlovka he unloaded paint and laminate at a warehouse as humanitarian aid, brought one of the carpets into a kindergarten.
“Where do you go now, Sergey Nikolaevich?” a very young teacher, looking almost like Sveta, asked.
“Home,” Serge smiled, “I’m building up anew.”

He turned to his home indeed, closer to Donetsk, to the ashes that had been a small village three years ago. He drove by a lop-sided, burned fence, by the Frolovs’ house ruined by an explosion, by abandoned kitchen gardens and a feral fruit garden.
Late spring. Everything blossoms as if there wasn’t anything. Everything cicatrized, pulled together, grew with greens. Yet it’s more difficult with people. Besides Serge, no one wanted to lodge on the former place.
He drove in between remains of a shed and the house with yellow patches of fresh wooden bars, moved back to the end-wall, running with a back wheel over a black currant bush. He felt a sudden pain, as if hit a man. He remembered: it was Dimka who planted it, he was small then, about seven... Doesn’t matter, man, it isn’t important any more, he will replant it later.
Serge shut off the engine.
Slight breeze went onto a half-lowered window, a crow croaked, something rumbled somewhere away — not artillery, just a thunder-storm.
He sat still for a while, deciding, adjusting himself. Serge thought: “If he died, he’s got what he deserved. Perhaps, it would be better if he died.”
We have peace. Peace.

Shock & Condemnation

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
addresses journalists at UN Headquarters.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Ban Ki-moon made his statement.

Yesterday he expressed shock and condemnation at brutal killing...

Not of the people of Donbass in Novorossiya (thousands killed, even more wounded, hundreds thousands displaced), or in any other hot and suffering spot of the world.

Oh, no bullshit, please.

That's the Hollywood-esque death of one single Boris Nemtsov that shocked him. A brutal killing, my ass!

Boris is (well, was) not higher than grade C+ person, by an unspoken Western standard, where Americans are grade A people, and white Europeans belong to grade B (also worth mentioning and protecting, remember that JesuisCharlie story?). Donbass people are considered, evidently, grade D. Just like aborigines of deep rainforests and black Africa. To be only remembered when things have really gone bad and mad, like in Ruanda.

How many of those Untermenschen are to be killed for Ban Ki-moon to be shocked and condemn killers? A hundred thousand? A million?

Undoubtedly, that's hypocrisy, which leads the world to a dark and bloody end.

And my condemnation goes to hypocrites.

A Map of Hell

Using Google Map resource, some volunteers of Donetsk have created and are constantly adding data to a map of shelling and bombing sites of Donetsk region.

Here it is.

Here is a couple of screenshots made at various scales:

 

Enlarged one is of the district adjacent to the Donetsk Airport (there's its taxiway, top left).

I am not sure the map opens for you in English, so what you have to know is:

Donetsk = Донецк

All capital leters in italic are names of districts of the city of Donetsk or Donetsk Oblast.

At present they've collected data for the period since September 4, 2014 to January 16, 2015.

You a welcome to check yourself that Anti-Terroristic Operation carried on by the Kiev/Kyiv regime since before Poroshenko was elected as president (by the way, who does remember now he promised to finish the ATO in just days?) in fact is a countinuous act of state terrorism against civilian population of their own country, effected illegally using all armed forces including army, that according to their constitution has no right to carry on warfare without declaring the war state, let alone shooting at own population.

You are free to see that all their statements regarding 'pro-Russian separatists and terrorists' shelling their own houses is a total bullshit. Because the Ukrainian state supported by the USA and the official EU carries own a true bloody civil war. But they cannot win, as the people cannot lose; the people either win or die, tertium non datur.

Just open your eyes and see. It is the 21st century.

Europe (geographically; though those maidan jumpers would like to go to Europe still farther, evidently, to better spread their nazi ideas of national supremacy).

Earth.

Hell.

Big Guys Speak for Nemtsov

Many people die daily of all kinds of violent death, but not all of them deserve so a close attention from the top of the world.

Mr. Obama has immediately issued a statement (bold font is mine):

The United States condemns the brutal murder of Boris Nemtsov, and we call upon the Russian government to conduct a prompt, impartial, and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his murder and ensure that those responsible for this vicious killing are brought to justice. Nemtsov was a tireless advocate for his country, seeking for his fellow Russian citizens the rights to which all people are entitled. I admired Nemtsov’s courageous dedication to the struggle against corruption in Russia and appreciated his willingness to share his candid views with me when we met in Moscow in 2009. We offer our sincere condolences to Boris Efimovich’s family, and to the Russian people, who have lost one of the most dedicated and eloquent defenders of their rights.

Well, vast majority of Russian people does not consider Nemtsov a defender of their rights, and I am not an exclusion. So, Mr. Obama, I have an honour to reject your generous offering. His death is surely a crime to be investigated, and those guilty are to be prosecuted, but this is the only way Boris Nemtsov's death can be taken as a loss.

An old friend of Russia, Senator John McCain was way more eloquent:

I was devastated to learn of the murder in Moscow today of my friend Boris Nemtsov. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and many friends in Russia and around the world. With his death, the struggle for free speech and human rights in Russia has suffered another devastating blow.

That Boris's murder occurred in a secure part of the Russian capital raises legitimate questions about the circumstances of his killing and who was responsible. But regardless of who actually pulled the trigger, Boris is dead because of the environment of impunity that Vladimir Putin has created in Russia, where individuals are routinely persecuted and attacked for their beliefs, including by the Russian government, and no one is ever held responsible.

I had long been concerned about Boris's safety, and said so publicly. I will never forget the last meeting we had. I begged him to be careful, and Boris told me that he would never give up the fight for freedom, human rights, and rule of law for his fellow Russians, even if it cost him his life. I am heartbroken that it has come to that. There must be a full investigation of Boris's murder, and those responsible must be held accountable. The world will be watching.

He's an old soldier and evidently knows not that many English words, to be devastated to learn of another devastating blow to the struggle for free speech and human rights in Russia. His competence and expertise in conditions of life in Russia do impress: "environment of impunity" made a tear in my eyes.

As for the last paragraph, I do doubt such a warmonger as John McCain can be heartbroken because of a single human death. Especially taking into account the deceased was not an American, he was not even a EU citizen; he was just their Russian agent of influence, that is a grade C+ person, not higher. Besides, McCain's concerns resemble strangely enough with Nemtsov's own concerns he expressed in the interview I quoted in my previous post (go to the end of it).

I hope we will know whose dirty game it was.

The day before yesterday Boris Nemtsov was an ex-politician, frankly, a loser, a clown trying to play against Putin and against Russia (or, if you wish, for such Russia that would first of all please the USA and the EU). Those four bullets turned him into a fallen hero of anti-Putin resistance in a moment.

The question qui prodest remains. At present I feel our oppositioners will try to get as much benefits of it as possible; in fact, they've started. It's also good for radical (and stupid) Ukrainians, who evidently dislike their being in hell (carefully created by themselves within just a year) and would contribute everything they have to provoke a maidan in Russia.

Anyhow, we will see who will be beneficiaries of the criminal tragedy.

RIP, Boris, your game is suddenly over. The life is going on, though, for the world is hopefully without end.

Amen.

Boris Nemtsov: Qui Prodest?

Source. © RIA Novosti. Ilya Pitalev.

This night in the very centre of Moscow, in direct view of the Kremlin, Boris Nemtsov was shot dead.

Whatever attitude one could have to this politician, this is a crime, and when a crime is investigated, since the Roman Empire nothing has changed: first, one has to find answer to a simple question, qui prodest. To whose profit was the deed done.

Was it profitable for Putin, or for anybody else in power?

No, in no case at all. Boris Nemtsov was not longer an acting politician, he lead an opposiiton movement that did not enjoy somehow wide support from the Russian people.

Was it profitable for the anti-Putin opposition dreaming of pressing Putin off the Kremlin? Yes, surely, for each and every one. Especially in the eve of coming oppo's meeting on March,1, which now has chances to be way more popular.

And — Putin is always to blame, he is bad man number one on Earth, let alone Russia. So our oppo figures have immediatle started a true hysteria.

Maxim Katz, a young oppositioner, tweets:

Putin is guilty.
In case it's he who contracted, he's guilty as a contractor.
In unlikely case he didn't, then [he's guilty] as the monger of rage, hysteria and hatred in people.

Je Suis Volnovakha?

There are some places that can undoubtedly be called hell on Earth. One of such places is Ukraine, mostly its Eastern part, including two self-proclaimed repubics of Donetsk and Lugansk that call themselves Novorossiya.

Yesterday there was another tragedy there: explosion of something rpoduced plenty of splinters that killed, as per actual information, 12 people and wounded 17.

In no time (and it's not just a figure of speech — it really was done immediately — the Ukrainian side blamed "Russian terrorists" in this attack. No wonder: for the Ukrainian collective unconsious feeling Russia is guilty in every and all Ukrainian troubles, Russia in general and Putin personally.

A picture from a pro-Kiev, pro-maidan Facebook public account. They always know who's to blame.

Yet more surprising was the press briefing of Marie Harf that also took place almost immediately after the killing. She said, in particular:

... we condemn continued attacks by separatists as they attempt to control additional territory in violation of the Minsk agreements. Today’s vicious and repeated attacks on the Donetsk Airport and the shelling of a bus that killed 10 people and wounded 13 are just the latest egregious violations of the commitments made by the Russia-backed separatists...

The bold font is mine.

Well, there is a long story behind the very word "separatists"; it was the new Kiev regime who made separatists of people, who just wanted Ukraine to become a federal state, by its stupid internal policies and started a civil war, desperately trying to convince the world of a Russian aggression.

During this civil war the Donetsk airport became one of the hottest spots. But how on Earth could Marie Harf know, just a couple hours later, that "Russian-backed separatists" were to blame in this cruel killing? The exact number of victims was not known yet; but it looks like there was no necessity in knowing exact information having a strong unquestionable prejudice of Russian guilt.

No investigation was conducted at all, evidences were mixed und unreliable, yet the one to blame was found immediately (maybe, in advance?). Isn't it a bit strange looking?

I know that warfare in general is always accompanied by more or less cruelty and atrocities and war crimes. Various sad accidents are possible at war, including "friendly fire", unintended deaths, etc.

However, as for investigation, so far I remember since the times when the Roman law was really Roman, one of the most important tasks was to discover cui prodest, that is for whom the deed is profitable.

And thinking about this tragedy from this point of view you inevitavly come to a conclusion it brought absolutely no profit to Novorossiya from any possible viewpoint; and it was absolutely profitable for Kiev regime — and for those who backed and supported the Ukrainian coup d'état or maidan (hypocritically called Revolution of Dignity), and encouraged Kiev to unleash a campaign of true, real state terrorism over those who were brave enough to oppose the regime.

If you want to stop war in Donbass effectively, stop Poroshenko now and forever, do not let Ukraine turn into a medieval state with radically nationalistic (Nazi) Bandera ideology. A huge part of Ukraine is already kind of Syria in Europe; is the next stage Libya?

Cui prodest?


#яВаня #IamVanya #ichbinWanja #jesuisVania #ikbenWanja

Hierarchy of Deaths

Today there were two terroristic attack.

One, in Paris, made the world move. 12 people were killed, 4 heavily wounded, as far as I know.

From BBC, link to the left.

The second one in Sanaa, Yemen. A blast took away about 40 lives and left close to 70 wounded. It was the second attack in Yemen within three days; the one on January 5 killed six.

Yes, definitely, world media wrote about this, and horrific images were published.

Yet the social response to the two terroristic attacks thst took place within one day in different parts of the world is just incomparable. Doesn't it look like 12 French lives are more important for the world community than 40 of Yemenians?

In fact, nothing new happens.

Prague, 1968. From Wiki.

Europe often recalls 1968, when units of the Warsaw Pact countries (except for Romania) invaded Czechoslovakia to oppress the so called Prague Spring. During the invasion 108 Chechoslovaks were killed and more than 500 wounded, mostly civilians protesting the invasion. On the opposite side there were killed 96 Soviet Army men (mostly in accidents), 10 Poles, 4 Hungarians and 2 Bulgarians.

It was definitely a tragedy; and Europe feels deeply sympathetic towards Czechs and Slovaks who suffered during these events, and blames Soviet Unipon which was behind this invasion. However, I was a bit surprised to read somewhere (maybe, in the EU documents) that it was the world greatest tragedy of 1968.

Well, what about the Tet Offensive? Is it forgotten?

US Marines in Dai Do, Vietnam, 1968. From Wiki.

What makes big difference, that it was in Vietnam. Far, far away from the happy and wealthy Europe. The North Vietnam army lost 45,267 men KIA, 61,267 WIA and 5,070 MIA. To the USA, South Vietnam and their allies it cost at least 9,078 lives, 35,212+ were wounded and about 1,530 missing.
As for civilians, Wiki says 14,000 were killed and 24,000 wounded. Statistics is a tricky thing; when you see so many zeroes in figures, it means one thing: nobody counted losses accurately.

And the both sides' deathcount of the Vietnam War was far, far from end.

108 Czechoslovaks mean definitely more tahn those countless thousands of Vietnamese; they were Europeans. May be you think I am too cynic? Is it I who is cynic about deaths?

The attempts to bring Western style democracy to Afghanistan or Iraq could be called ridiculous, if they were not the reasons of mass bloodshed among civilians, resulting anarchy, riots, clashes and even civil wars. And here comes the ISIL...

Definitely, my condolences go to France as well as to Yemen, to all those who lost their close and beloved ones.

I just hope Europe will wake up until it's too late to preserve the Western civilization for future generations. To preserve it in the world where ir is not the one and only existing civilization, where all lives matter.

There are things that should not be tolerated in any case, and things to be defended by all possible means. Hopefully, people choose right side.

Who Is to Blame For Terrorist Attack in Paris?

Terrorist war has bloody reached Paris.

President Hollande said wise words about "exceptional barbarity", Europe, democracy, tolerance...

Yet everything has its limits. So should have even those sacred cows, I mean democracy and tolerance. Europe has pretty a long history of playing dirty games alone and more often under the guidance of the USA. Libya, Iraq, Syria... Air strikes, destruction of states, deaths, deaths, deaths...

May those killed in Paris rest in peace, yet it looks like Europe has brought up its horror with its own hands.

Come on listening to Obama further. Biggest threats to the world are Ebola and Putin?

So who is to blame for this particular wave of terror and blood?

Putin? Will there be more sanctions against Russia?

Bashar Assad? Will Syria be bombed again?

What does European sense of democracy and tolerance say?

... and Hades followed Europe...

Mourning Children

Another unbelievable tragedy, this time in Peshawar. They say, 134 children were killed.

Pakistani soldiers move bodies of victims killed when Taliban gunmen attacked an army-run school. Photograph: Arshad Arbab/EPA. Source

I say 'unbelievable', because it's just impossible to believe in such a great concentration of sorrow in one place. Yet such tragedies happen again and again.

Warfare is inhuman; yet killing children is the most inhuman thing one can imagine. Soldiers are trained to fight and die; seniors are expected to die because it's just normal course of human life; however, children are supposed to live. Ideally, longer and happier lives than their parents.

This is how it is supposed to be from a viewpoint of any normal human being. Well, at least I hope so.

However, when someone decides to make other people pull the chestnuts out of the fire for himself, it often leads to unexpected consequences.

Do you still rememember the genesis of Osama bin Laden? Who funded the beginning of his 'career'? He was so a good guy as an anti-Soviet mujahiddeen in Afghanistan, wasn't he? He fought against the Evil Empire — well, you thought (were convinced) the USSR was...

Sometimes you can successfully fight fire with fire, but you cannot win fighting evil with evil; and, basically, you shouldn't play with fire. Do you really think Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq live now better, being literally raped with what the world calls 'democracy', quite doublespeakfully?

Quite a hypocritical policy led to the todays flourishing of terrorism. Stop doublespeak! Don't allow them to fool you, when they call terrorists 'freedom fighters' or a campaign of state terrorism 'the Anti-Terroristic Operation. Terrorism is a monstrous octopus with its tentacles spread across the world; recently it has reached Australia, you know. It should not be tolerated at any stage of its life cycle.

We in Russia understand it pretty well. We had many tragedies, including that of Beslan, that took away hundreds lives (including 186 children). I mourn with all those who suffered great losses, and I am sure so do most of my compatriots.

Some adults definitely deserve hell, but children must live. There are chances for better life in the future at least for our children, I hope and pray. And write.