I've stayed in this hotel in Chernihiv for the first time in 2014, with my colleagues from Moscow who I've brought to Ukraine to show them this country. Later, I stayed here many times amid my bicycle trips, and even have visited its great restaurant with my kids. Now it's gone.
These are photos from my visit to this hotel and Chernihiv with my kids some years ago. The pics are still on my smartphone. I have told my kids today, the hotel was destroyed by Russians. The kids remembered the hotel and the city.
Beautiful Chernihiv, one of the cutest and most comfortable Ukrainian cities, a capital with 1000+ years history, the home of UNESCO-capable cathedrals and cave monasteries, the city of parks, hills, bicycle lanes and Chernihivske beer - now in ruins. Russians destroy everything.
Ironically, the address of this hotel was Peace Ave 33.
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THREAD Let me speculate about what expects us after this war. First of all, I expect, Ukraine will win this war, and Russia will loose. Dependent on the level of Western support (incl the level of sanctions) Ukraine will suffer bigger or smaller losses: civilians, inf.structure/1
Russian economy will suffer a complete collapse. Already now Russian economy is weaker than Ukrainian. In contrary to Ukraine, Russia is extremely centralized and dependent on natural resources. Ukraine is diversified and free. Ukraine will also get Western monetary support /2
Within next weeks, Ukrainians will wipe out not only Russian army, but also (much more important for Russia!) terror police units: OMON, SOBR etc. Occupational forces in Russia-occupied national republics will no longer exist. Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Sakha and others go free /3
In 2002-2006, Ukraine has destroyed over 30 Tu-22M strategic bombers, 19 Tu-160 strategic bombers (a Soviet version of B-2), and 225 cruise missiles X-22 for them - the biggest fleet worldwide, more than the US or Russia. The US has pushed Ukraine to destroy them all and paid $8m
This was the part of de-arming Ukraine after the Budapest memorandum, as the US convinced Ukrainians, their border will be secure amid guarantees given by the US, UK and Russia, and all Ukraine needs to do is to destroy its strategic arms and remain naked.
If Ukraine had these bombers + cruise missiles now, Russian would suffer from incredible losses across all the territory of Russia, and therefore would never risk to attack Ukraine. Effectively, by de-arming only Ukraine, the US let Russian aggression happen. You are in debt, US!
Amid Russia’s genocidal war on Ukraine, Russians go to the streets and… rush to IKEA to buy furniture before IKEA’s closure in Russia. The level of indifference to war crimes committed by their country is beyond any imagination.
Russia’s leading business daily Vedomosti advises its readers to take holidays (Russians have a long weekend now, as March 8th is a holiday) and go to old cities not far from Moscow to enjoy food, horse riding and to relieve stress.
While Russians find their excuse not to protest in the risks of being arrested, Ukrainian protest against Russian army in occupied city of Kherson, facing Russian gunfire.
THREAD I know it sounds contra-intuitive, but it feels that Russia and its army are about to collapse. RU obviously has no reserves left: the tanks they send to the front are very old, without active armor, look like training machines. They do not have trucks, using civilian ones
Russian flat-bombing of Ukrainian cities is the opposite of what a nation which is about to conquer its wealthy neighbor (and Ukrainian province is wealthier than Russia's one) It is a sign of desperation. Exactly as the attempt to use Red-Cross-marked trucks as ammo transports/2
Within the last days, the amount of Russian warplanes and helicopters shot by Ukrainian army, is increased: at least 4 warplanes and 1 helicopter. We are in the 10th day of war, and Ukrainian air defense is still working, and Russian pilots (the elite of the elite) are dying /3
Reg. "Ukraine may not film POWs!". It is allowed. One may not humiliate POWs, but there is no ban on filming. And as the aggressor denies the very existence of own POWs, it is in their interest to be filmed + identified, so their families could be informed they are alive and fine
Here is the text of the related article. It is clear, that treatment which can cause harm to health or even death are banned. "Public curiosity" is banned also, but it relates to public demonstration of POWs (for example, to let POWs march through a civil crowd to "present" them)
For example, a show-like march of Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk in 2014, as they were exposed to violence and insults, was a clear violation of the Convention. Filming of a formalised interrogation is not.
The (unconfirmed) news that a Russian warship had been hit and sunk near Odesa are actually not surprising. In contrary to Russian Army which is capable to win amid huge losses, Russian Navy is traditionally not capable even to that. Its history is a history of defeats (THREAD)
According to RU historical tradition, RU Navy was founded by Peter I, an admirer of the West and the founder of Petersburg. He invested huge money and manpower in fleet, but its most famous victory remains Gangut battle: 99 RU ships v 9 SWE (sic!) The fleet has rotten after Peter
Later 18th early 19th, RU fleet tried to compete on the Black Sea and Mediterranean. Admiral Ushakov was pretty effective against TURK fleet. Still, RU gains on the Black Sea were not to protected agains world powers. Amid Crimean war 1854, RU just sunk own fleet in Sevastopol.