THREAD This video shows a Russian occupant who leaves Crimea after yesterday's attack. She says: "I don't want to leave Crimea, Alushta. It is so amazing here. We got used to living here. We lived like it is our own. We felt like at home here". /1
Russia transferred 1,000,000 of Russian citizens to Crimea after the annexation in order to replace the local population, who partly left Crimea and partly was oppressed/arrested/sentenced/relocated, whose property was seized, businesses hijacked. /2
There is nothing new in this ethnic cleansing / replacement policy. In 1944 Crimea Tatars were mass deported from Crimea to Siberia and Central Asia. They were banned from return home. Same time, Moscow called ethnic Russians to "go to and settle on the rich lands of Crimea" /3
This 1951 poster promises Russians who come to Crimea lands huge financial support, freedom from many duties etc. Of course, these Russians just took the houses and lands of Crimea Tatars - for free. In a few years, they started to say, "we feel at home" /4
In later decades, Moscow continued to pump Crimea with ethnic Russians, especially with hardcore communists and KGB officers. Those who made careers in Moscow could get a right to retire to Crimea and get an apartment there. They were Moscow's fifth column in Ukrainian Crimea. /5
So it is not a surprise that Moscow just repeats the same tricks which worked all these decades. That is why the question comes what to do with all these Russian citizens who were transferred to Crimea by occupation admins in order to erase Ukrainian or Crimea Tatar identity. /6
I can imagine press articles or @amnesty reports after Ukraine liberates Crimea, blaming Ukraine for a "human rights violation", as these settlers will be forced to leave Crimea or will not get Ukrainian passports (I can imagine, some will apply, esp. after the EU membership). /7
But this is the future thing. Today I just wanted to remind you on the Moscow's decades-long policy of ethnic cleansing and the russification of Crimea. /END
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THREAD Let me say some words about the #visaban debate. 1) Visa rules (or in general entry regulations) are always based on a presumption that all holders of one passport can be preferred or discriminated against compared to holders of another passport; /1
1.1) For example, ANY Russian citizen had to obtain a visa to enter the EU, independently on the proven income, education, job, family status etc. At the same time, Ukrainians could travel visa-free. At the same time, the US citizens could not only enter visa-free, but also... /2
1.1)...apply for a long-term student residence permit after a visa-free entry, while Ukrainians (or many other non-EU nations, which had visa-free entry) could not. You see the pattern? There is no "most favoured nation rule" in visa rules. Nations are being treated differently/3
The importance of the Novofedorivka strike is hard to overestimate. Militarily, it is one of the key positions for Russian air strikes against the South of Ukraine. The destruction of this airfield with probably dozens of planes is huge. But it is way more important politically/1
Ukraine has archived a mega goal. Ukrainians have attacked Crimea: Russia’s “holy trophy” and “invulnerable fortress”. The attacked took place amid daylight with visible devastating results. This is why the reaction of Russian tourists is so precious: they are overwhelmed /2
Further, Ukraine has eliminated the Air Force base. Air Force is not some Buryats-filled infantry barrack, but mostly ethnic-Russian elite troops. Amid Putin’s presidential campaign 2012, cartoonist Zashtopik who also produced pedophile comics, played with jet pilot motives:
Unconfirmed reports on 4 Ukrainian missile strikes at Russian airfield Novofedorivka in Crimea. If true - the first strike on Russia-occupied Crimea (not counting offshore gas rigs). Can be the consequences of decimated RU air defense: 14 SAM systems knocked out within 3 days.
Earlier, reports came on usage of the US anti-radiation AGM-88 HARM missiles, high-speed radar killers. This seems to be the next Western 1980s weapon (after the Javelins, HIMARS etc) Russians have no idea how to protect themselves from. What a disgrace :) defence-blog.com/russian-troops…
So my guess: knocked-out Russians SAMs allowed Ukrainians to launch Tochkas without any air-defense fire. Of course other options are possible too.
#BREAKING THREAD Head of Amnesty Ukraine @OPokalchuk says, that today's report by @amnesty was NOT prepared by Amnesty UKR. Further scandalous facts: 1) Data used by Amnesty Intl did not come not from Amnesty Ukraine, but from some international researchers (obviously parachuted)
2) Ukrainian office did not participate in either preparation or writing of the report; 3) "Already in the early stage, we get into a dead end". "None of the arguments by our team about the inadmissibility of this incomplete report were taken into consideration" /2
4) Ukraine office "has done anything possible to prevent this publication", but "multiply objections" by the Office Ukraine were answered "with no without any compromises"; 5) No working versions of report were sent to Kyiv office; /3
Amnesty ignores many facts: that Ukrainian army evacuates civilians in many cases and under great danger; that Ukrainians are totally outnumbered; that Russia erases the whole cities. Ukrainian human rights NGOs like members of Helsinki Group criticize the Amnesty’s biased report
Olexandr Pavlychenko, the President of Ukrainian Helsinki Group until 2017, and since 2019 the Deputy Head of the Amnesty Commission by the President of Ukraine calls this AI report “manipulative”.
Lawyer and human rights expert Larysa Denysenko, who worked as a lawyer representing claimants in front of the European Court of Human Rights, and was a Head of Transparency International Ukraine, says: this Amnesty’s report is “extremely biased” and “not an objective report”.
Am a migrant and a German citizen who used to work in Ukraine. I tweet my observation about the career chances of a Jew or Afghan in GER vs. UKR politics and the defense sector (not good in Germany). Some Rüdiger appears telling, a Jew COULD be a Chancellor or a President in GER.
No, Rüdiger. There is no case of a Jew being either elected or even nominated for a job of a German Chancellor. The same is about an Afghan-born migrant - who is a Ukrainian Board Member at the biggest Defense Sector company but would have no chance in Germany. Keep gaslighting.
There was only one case, as a Jewish politician was asked about the idea of being nominated for a job a Federal President in Germany. He wisely declined it, saying, "Germany is not ready" for a Jewish Federal President. So no, Rüdiger, you have no idea.