1) Our so-called 'forces' got a new commander, Sergey Surovikin. I couldn't understand, why the surname of yet another random general is so familiar. And yes. Of course he's THAT Surovikin.
2) There is a major event in russian history called August Coup of 1991. The Soviet Union was collapsing, it was already over but the top military tried to take control. You can read about it here in great detail.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Sovi…
3) What's important for the story is that during the Moscow events there were almost zero casualties. Almost. What an awful word.
4) 20 August 1991. Moscow is flooded with protesters ready to fight for their newly found freedom. Freedom is around the corner but they need to protect the White House.
Conspirators, the soviet military elite, decide to take the building with force.
5) Moscow military commander Kalinin declares a curfew - it's a sign, that the White House is going to be attacked. The whole city rises in protest. Trolleybuses block the way while Taman division IFVs try to get to the spot.
6) On their way Taman fighters meet barricades. Six IFVs get through but the last one is attacked by citizens. Dmitry Komar tries to cover IFV's observation slit with fabric. He gets shot. Vladimir Usov tries to help. Shot. Ilya Krichevsky sets the IFV on fire. Shot.
7) These three immediately become the symbol, many experts will later tell, that their death stopped conspirators from attacking the White House. But what about the Taman murderers? Oh, they were commanded by captain Sergey Surovikin.
8) SPOILER ALERT: He gets away.
GKChP - russian elite intelligence committee pretends to be dead. Some of their leaders actually commit suicide. But the idea is not dead, these people are just lurking in the shadows. And they notice the ruthless obedience of Surovikin.
9) I didn't curse for too-much-tweets-in-a-row! Shit! Fuck! Svetov!
10) Surovikin gets away because Russia never got rid of the criminal elites. As a typical russian crook, Sergey tries to monetize his position. Weapons smuggling? Gets away. Goes up in the hierarchy of mentally gone criminals. Beats the shit out of the soldier? Gets away.
11) And now Sergey gets to the point in time when the leader is obsessed with symbolism. Surovikin is not a mediocre soldier anymore. He is the symbol of infinite obedience. The only thing that can make Putin hard.
12) We are now at Putin times. After years of modest self-control, Sergey finds a proper master to serve. He doesn't need to hide anymore. In 2002 he makes his deputy shoot himself in Surovikin's office. That's the official version and it doesn't make things less scary.
13) 2004. Surovikin's goons torture people in Chechnya. They slam into doors. They kidnap people. They beat them to death. Sergey tells it's all lies and fake news. An observer from 2022 will notice Kadyrov supporting Surovikin and get even angrier.
14) 2014. Sergey gets promotion after promotion and waits for his talents to find some use. He takes his part in the first stage of this war but we do not know much about his personal involvement in 2014. Let's wait three years for him to shine.
15) Surovikin goes to Syria in 2017. He is in charge of aviation somehow, even though his experience is more about killing civilians in motorized infantry forces. But you know, he brings his experience with him.
16) Remember three people murdered? Surovihin got some experience. Now he kills way more people every day. The favorite tactic of his forces is to bomb some place full of civilians, then wait for emergency forces to arrive and bomb once again.
17) Bombs, chemical weapons, hospitals burned to the ground, you name it. Sergey goes full loko while Putin's cello player Roldugin does his favorite classic bits in the ruins of Palmira.
18) This is a serial killer. A psychopath. But what does Putin think about such a person in command? He loves his lunatics. Surovikin becomes an Army general. In August 2021. At the moment of GKChP 30th anniversary.
19) I can speak longer about the symbolism or whatever. But I don't want to, I am disgusted and hurt. This person is the living representation of everything bad my country is. Obedient, cruel, violent, bloodthirsty idiot. Thread over.
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