@JayinKyiv Translation: To the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic, D. Pushilin.
We, the undersigned wives and mothers of servicemen of the 1st Army Corps of the Donetsk People's Militia, who were mobilised from Dokuchayevsk... /1
@JayinKyiv ask you to intervene in the situation and to protect our husbands and sons from the harassment of the military personnel of the Chechen Republic, to conduct an investigation and punish those responsible who mocked us by our relatives. /2
@JayinKyiv After the intensification of hostilities for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, as well as the protection of citizens of the Donetsk People's Republic from the Kyiv neo-Nazi regime, our men were mobilized into the ranks of the People's Militia. /3
@JayinKyiv Despite the lack of combat experience, they, sparing no effort, fulfill their duty to the people of the Republic to protect the Motherland from neo-Nazis and honorably fulfill the combat missions assigned to them. And what did they get in return? /4
@JayinKyiv In combat positions, our relatives and friends are subjected to bullying and humiliation by the military of the Chechen Republic, who take part in a special military operation as part of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. /5
@JayinKyiv In the area of the settlement Berestovoye, where our military repulse the attacks of the Ukrainian nationalist battalions, an unprecedented incident occurred. Two servicemen of the People's Militia of the DPR, [names redacted],... /6
@JayinKyiv and who were mobilized from Dokuchaevsk and worked in the city administration before being mobilised, were raped by Chechens in front of their colleagues. The soldiers who wanted to protect our guys were threatened with weapons and promised to shoot them like dogs. /7
@JayinKyiv The Chechens insulted our troops, saying we were not human beings on our land, but cattle, and they would do whatever they wanted with us. It is our fate to be silent and bear it. Is that what our husbands and children are fighting for? /8
@JayinKyiv So that instead of Ukrainian nationalists we can be abused by Chechen lawless criminals?! We have been living under fire from Ukrainian nationalists for eight years and now we have to wait for the Chechens to come and rape our men!!! /9
@JayinKyiv The military command does not want to confront Ramzan Kadyrov's subordinates and is trying to conceal this fact. We appeal to you, Denis Vladimirovich, to protect our families, bring Chechen soldiers to justice and punish them openly and demonstratively, according to wartime law.
1/ While there's a lot of attention being given to the military, economic and demographic consequences of Russia's partial mobilisation (see link below for the latter), we should never forget that it has multi-generational consequences. Thread follows.
2/ The Russia-Ukraine war is an intensive industrial war of a kind not seen anywhere in the world since the Korean War (and not in Europe since WW2). On present trends, it's likely to be one of the deadliest worldwide in the last 200 years. washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/0…
3/ When the war is over, Russia and Ukraine will need to deal with a huge number of physically and mentally wounded people. Both countries have experience of this. During WW2, the former Soviet Union suffered 46,250,000 physically wounded – more than any other country in history.
@sualurr, whose father was a Soviet Afghan veteran, has written of the devastating effects on family life of untreated PTSD among soldiers returning from war. It's an important read, but not an easy one, so trigger warnings etc. Translated thread follows. ⬇️
2/ From @sualurr: I'll tell you about life with a man who survived the war. Spoiler: it's fucked up.
The thread is very long, more for those who think they'll come back a hero.
3/ My mother and father met at university, and my mother knew from the first look, the first conversation, that she would spend the rest of her life with this man, and that was what kept her from giving him up, even when it was not too late.
The Russian economists Maxim Mironov (@mironov_fm) and Oleg @itskhoki (of IE University and UCLA respectively) have published an important thread estimating the likely demographic impacts of mobilisation on Russia. A translation follows. ⬇️ /1
1. Over the next 6 months an attempt will be made to mobilise between 700,000 and 1 million people. /2
2. We estimate the target group for the first call-up to be 2-3 million people. In total, the probability of being drafted among members of this group exceeds 25%. /3
A very interesting insight into the Russian Army's current manpower shortages and the purposes of the recent mobilisation has been posted by commentator Alexander Kots on Telegram (h/t @RALee85). English translation follows.
Translation: Mobilisation is not announced for the good of life. We have to admit that today's grouping is not enough for the goals set. For us the fighting has gone into a defensive phase, when there is practically no advance. /1
It is insignificant in some areas and is positional in nature. At the same time we feel an acute shortage of riflemen, mechanics-drivers, operators-drivers - motorized riflemen, in a word. /2
1/ There'll be lots of commentary this morning about the logistical difficulties of Putin's announcement of a partial mobilisation. But I thought I'd add a few points, based on my own personal observations, of what it means politically and for the troops already in Ukraine.
2/ First, politics: Putin was clearly under a lot of pressure to react to Russia's defeat east of Kharkiv. This is very likely his way of responding to increasingly strident demands. IMO, this shows that he fears the nationalist flank more than the general public.
2/ Second, morale. As I've previously documented from Russian soldiers' accounts and intercepted phone calls published by Ukraine, many Russian soldiers are badly demoralised and want to go home. 20-40% of the men from some units have reportedly quit.
1/ Following @ian_matveev's earlier mega-thread analysing the reasons for Russia's defeat east of Kharkiv (link below), he's now posted a follow-up thread assessing Ukraine's options in the south. An English translation (in 32 parts) follows next. ⬇️
2/ From @ian_matveev: Kherson will be freed, probably before the end of the year. The only remaining question is how exactly this will happen. In this thread I will discuss three plausible scenarios for a Ukrainian offensive on the right bank of the Dnieper.
2/ Let me briefly recap the situation. The Russian troops are trapped - the bridges across the Dnieper are destroyed, the supply comes via ferry crossings, and this is clearly not enough. Significant forces were moved to defend the front earlier, including from the "LDNR".