I know that some people that know me from a professional setting – I am a senior cyber security advisor with about ten years of experience fighting Russian espionage – may find the language of my trench-style disinformation fighting a bit much.
For posterity I want to say: 1/14
We are living in dangerous times. Russia is like a scorpion and is just being Russia as it has been for 500 years. But our leaders have ignored that and completely failed us and are still failing us and are slow-walking us towards WWIII. And I will not sit quietly and watch. 2/14
Russia is dangerous and MUST be stopped. In both Ukraine and Georgia. Most urgently in Ukraine but imagine if we had helped Ukraine to decisively repel Russia in 2014? How much bloodshed and heartache and rape and torture and murder could we have spared the Ukrainian people? 3/14
Instead we pretended the green men were separatists, that it was unclear who shot down MH17, and accepted Obama’s Russian Reset. We did not help Ukraine after Euromaidan in 2014, nor did we help the brave Belarusian people in 2020, but we can help the Georgia people in 2024. 4/14
For one because it is the morally right thing to do. It is actually morally imperative to help the brave people of both Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus to break free of Russia’s brutal interference, invasion, occupation and repression.
Otherwise what are our values worth? 5/14
But also because it is the only way to actually stop our progress towards WWIII. Russia is being its own brutal self and will not stop. Not in Ukraine, not in Georgia, and please believe me when I say:
We’d be FOOLISH to bet our future on Russia stopping at the NATO border. 6/14
Instead we need to recognize that Russia is more than likely to continue. And most likely until it is stopped.
It will never be satisfied.
After Ukraine comes Georgia, then comes Moldova. After Moldova comes … we don’t know. But an emboldened Russia is not likely to stop. 8/14
And if you read or listen to the first-hand reports on what Russian soldiers are doing in Ukraine you will be hard pressed to not conclude that the Russian Army is densely populated with absolute evil monsters that will do things we would hardly put in horror movies. 9/14
Because of that I have decided that what you, dear reader, think of me and how I choose to fight Russia and Russian disinformation in the information space is of no consequence to me.
If you don’t want to do business with me because I have decided to fight – then so be it. 10/14
I have accepted the gravity of the situation and I have picked sides. I’m with democracy against tyranny. I am with decency against toxic lies and manipulation. I am with Ukraine against Russia.
I am here to do whatever I can to help #CrushRussia, and I’m here with #NAFO. 12/14
One day I hope to be able to go back to being Frode the #infosec guy, but for that to happen the Ukrainian and Georgian people must completely defeat the Russian evil. Until then I am Frode Fella, who donate to and promote Ukrainian and Georgian causes and fight Russia. 13/14.
I have to admit that I am not very hopeful at the moment – our leaders seem to be grossly failing our fight for democracy, peace and prosperity – but that only makes it more important to fight.
And in the end light ALWAYS prevails.
Frode Fella out.
14/14
P.S. If you feel the same, please consider donating money to Ukrainian causes, promoting Ukrainian (and Georgian) voices and joining #NAFO to fight Russia’s ugly and toxic and extremely dangerous disinformation in the digital trenches of social media.
P.P.S. For the record: I was a Fella hang-around since early 2022 and been a proper Fella since late summer 2022.
Since then I have donated monthly to multiple Ukrainian causes and fought Russian disinformation.
And I tagged the first journalist about Russian #disinfo in 2014.
Since this thread seems to reach outside my regular bubble I will use the opportunity to spread my Public Service Announcement about the Soviet “Union”:
Just to bolster this idea:
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.