I found a fascinating video from Ukrainian journalist Serhii Peichev about how Russia used sport to achieve its bloody and imperial goals. The video is 20 minutes long, so I will summarize critical things here.
Source:
First, we need to go back to 1936. Nazi Germany organized the summer Olympics.
While Germany was becoming antisemitic, many participants of Jewish descent refused to go to Berlin. /1
There have been boycott threats in some countries, but the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Pierre de Coubertin, came to Berlin and showed his support. /2
Hitler invested a lot in the organization. At that time, it was the best Olympics ever held. All antisemitic signs have been removed from Berlin for the time of the event.
We always have this national feeling of unity in sports once our team wins. Germany won the Olympics. /3
Hitler used that feeling to build his ideology that the Aryan race is the best. /4
Back to the 21st century. While everyone watches sports events, Putin tries to launch aggressive wars. In June 2008, Russia got to the semifinals of the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship (which was a big success for them). /5
One month later, on 01.08, Russian forces entered Georgia. 08.08 there is Olympics in China - a significant event that makes the world forget about Georgia. In the meantime, Russia still participates in the Olympics and talks nonsense about the People's Militia (Opolcheniye). /6
IOC later condemned the Olympics in 1936 and said it was a mistake. But it doesn't seem they learn from them. They didn't mind Russia organizing the Winter Olympics in 2014. /7
Similar to Germany, it was the most expensive (more expensive than all Olympics combined!) event in History. Some countries have tried to organize a boycott. Most European leaders refused to go to this Olympics. /8
The Ukrainian biathlon team wanted to participate in the race with black armbands in memory of Maidan victims, but IOC did not allow them to. The team refused to participate.
Euromaidan was happening at the same time as the Olympics. /9
A few days before the Olympics ended, "green men" appeared in Crimea. A few months later, Russia created fake republics in eastern Ukraine. He is what the Ukrainian vice admiral said about Russian groups in #Crimea: /10
It confirms that Russia directly used the Olympics to occupy Crimea.
Despite everything, the FIFA World cup 2018 was held in Russia, and there has been evidence that FIFA chief Blatter has received a reward for his attitude. /11
According to UK intelligence, the Russian oligarch has bribed FIFA to select Russia as the tournament host. /12
For two reasons, Putin wanted to host the event: stealing tons of money and a clean Russian reputation. To show they could respect other nations. By the way, Nazi Germany applied to the 1942 FIFA world cup. Of course, the tournament was canceled. /13
2022 Olympics in China, Putin came to the event. There are many rumors about what he discussed with Chinese leaders.
In antics, Olympics symbolized peace between countries. Unfortunately, for a dictators sport event is a tool to cover their bloody plans. /14
Amazing interview with AFU Lieutenant Colonel Pavel Rozlach for Censor.net. Many details about battles in the south and the east and military life in general. Translation provided by me and @Anastasiya1451A
(Rozlach): The news of the full-scale offensive caught me at the Shirokiy Lan training range in the Mykolaiv region. We were transferred there from the Yavoriv training range because the command understood there could be an offensive. /1
That is why we were in the south of the country. On the night of February 24, I returned to the unit from Chernihiv - my wife had surgery. I was passing through Brovary when a rocket hit the SDF command building. So I immediately believed that it was severe. /2
For example, let's talk about the Kuban region in south Russia. It used to be populated by the Ukrainian population. In this video from 1992 (NOT 1956), people call themselves Ukrainians and talk in beautiful Ukrainian. /2
Ukrainians also populated the far east due to immigration. They even proclaimed the republic Green Ukraine in 1918. I recommend reading the Ukrainian novel "Tiger Trappers" about the life of Ukrainians there. It is one of the best books I've read.
Russian and Ukrainian languages. Thread
As a Ukrainian, one of the most often questions people asked me before the war was about the language. Is Russian and Ukrainian the same? How do you know Russian? Are they similar?
Before answering these questions, first, let's look at the historical background.
The Russian language arrived in Ukraine only in the middle of the 17th century (Pereiaslav Agreement). Before that, no one spoke Russian there. /1
At that time, Russian-speaking soldiers and merchants from the Moscow tsarist empire were settled in Ukraine for the first time. /2
Taras Chmut is the head of the @BackAndAlive foundation and a former Marine who participated in the war in Donbas. He gave a very honest interview to @pravda_eng
My translation:
(I): Let's start with the war. In recent weeks we have been anticipating a counteroffensive in the south. What do we need for this counteroffensive?
(C): Probably brains. /1
Because it is impossible to conduct a counteroffensive and publicly warn the enemy about a month before. As for the practical component, nothing has changed in recent months. /2
How Russia has become the world's largest sponsor of terrorism and what legal recognition of this will bring - in a column by Foreign Minister @DmytroKuleba for RBC-Ukraine.
My translation:
"It is time to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and to do so as quickly as possible. /1
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, his office head Andriy Yermak, and I, as a foreign minister, have been persistent in stressing this on all international platforms. /2