A witness's memoir. The first days of a full-scale war. Massacre on the Zhytomyr highway, Kyiv region.
Every Ukrainian killed by russian soldiers is not a number. It is a person, people. Read this memoir.
We were driving in the opposite lane. Almost as soon as we entered the stretch [of the Zhytomyr highway towards Kyiv - ed.] we heard shots. We stopped, the car was not moving. Maksym jumped out and started waving: "There are children here! Children!"
It was all in front of me. He fell down. Ksenia started to rattle. Once, twice. Hordii said: "Why is mom rattling?" I turned around and took Hordii. I put him [in the driver's seat] and covered him [with myself]. I got a bullet (points to his right forearm - ed.). They were shooting for a long time.
And then there was silence. I opened the door and there were Buryats with machine guns... I realized that they were russians. I said immediately: "There are children here, don't shoot, please, there are children here." And they: "The child first". Hordii went out, but I couldn't go out... I got out and saw Maksym's legs.
I wanted to approach him, but [the russian] did not let me pass. He said: "That's it! That's it!" I started saying, "Ksenia is here! Mom is behind!" He looked: "Cover the child's eyes". I covered Hordii's eyes, I had a shawl. And he took us in that direction (to the area behind the gas station - ed.).
There was a pit there. I asked him [the russian who brought us]: "Are you serious now? Don't do that." And he said: "I'm sorry. My child is also six years old. I'm sorry." I thought they were going to shoot us.
But a russian officer appeared behind the pit and shouted: "Who opened fire? Who shot? Who brought her here?" I started to tell him: "We were on our way, we evacuated, they are shooting... we have children...", "You had no identification marks". I said: "We had white ones... and [the inscription] 'children' both in front and behind".
Someone behind me said: "What are you going to do with them?" He looked me in the eye for so long, and then said: "Let them go." They took us out through the gas station and we left with Hordii.
Another Buryat took Hordii in his arms and asked, "What's your name?" "'Hordii'. "I'm sorry, I know you won't forgive me, but I'm sorry." I think he was the one who shot and killed my parents.
Mass murder on the Zhytomyr highway: map, chronology and investigation of the Russian crime:
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With all the breathless headlines about the US talking with the terrorist leader today and drunk abuser Hegseth's statements today saying we should abandon NATO and returning territories, we need to all unite around our peace plan and demand nothing less.
We all need to make it clear to both our government and the USA that we want peace but only our peace, not something foisted on us by cowards. We need to be prepared to go to the streets if there is even a slight indication that our government will accept anything less.
No president of any foreign country speaks for Ukraine. Yes, Trump has leverage, but so do we and our European allies. For drunk Hegseth to take NATO and territories off the table is treasonous to us. That should have been the main demand and nothing less. What a dumbass.
Did you know, that on the night of Jan 31 to Feb 1, 2024, soldiers of the special unit "Group 13" of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine destroyed the missile boat "Ivanovets" of the Black Sea Fleet of the russian federation?
Now you know!
Defence Intelligence of the MoD of Ukraine confirmed that their fighters destroyed the "Ivanovets" missile boat of the Black Sea Fleet of the russian Federation this night
The ship was on the roadway of Lake Donuzlav in the Crimea. As a result of a series of direct hits to the hull, the Russian ship received damage incompatible with further movement - "Ivanovets" rolled to the stern and sank.
The cost of the lost ship is approximately 60-70 million dollars.
Right time to send “Salut” to flooded “Moskva” at the bottom of the Black Sea.
For the first time in the history of world wars, as a result of a group attack by naval drones, which were directed via a space satellite, a warship that was on the move in the open sea in full combat readiness was destroyed.
The special services of the russian federation and Belarus are preparing a terrorist attack in order to blame it on Ukraine, - Intelligence.
The object of the terrorist attack was the Brestoblnefteprodukt oil depot near the village of Pryluky in the Brest region, which is 2 km from the Belarusian-Polish border.
It is planned to drop from a UAV.
Agreements were reached between the FSB of the russian federation and the KGB of the Republic of Belarus to carry out an operation "under a foreign flag" against one of the objects on the territory of Belarus, with the subsequent accusation of this by the Ukrainian side.
At the moment, the BRESTOBLNEFTPRODUKT oil depot near the settlement of Pryluky in the Brest Region, which is not far (2 km) from the Belarusian-Polish border, is being considered as a target for a terrorist attack.
russians are reducing their presence at the #Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant territory - GUR.
Among the first to leave the station were three employees of “Rosatom” who were directing the actions of the russians.
Ukrainian employees who signed a contract with “Rosatom” also received evacuation recommendations. According to the received instructions, they have to leave by July 5. The desired destination is the territory of the occupied Crimea.
Once again, like a broken record, we implore our President, the Rada, & our allies to take concrete action to protect the ZNPP. We believe that ZNPP has already been mined and the enemy is just waiting for the order to blow it up threatening 40 countries & millions of people.
The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the enemy has mined the ZNPP. So now what? That information is terrifying but what action is going to be taken to protect it? unian.ua/war/rosiyani-d…
Here are a few suggestions. First, Ukraine must organize a coalition of all free countries that would be affected by the detonation of ZNPP. Second, President Zelensky should invite all those in that coalition to participate in a military protection force to secure ZNPP.
The undermining of the Kakhovska dam is not yet a "black swan", that is, an unexpected event that changes everything. This was expected, the Ukrainian authorities even warned that the occupiers had mined the Kakhovska HPP and were preparing a terrorist attack.
But this is a "gray swan", because the consequences will still be large-scale, with a serious impact on the course of the war.
The nature of the water flow allows us to conclude that the "body" of the dam stood, otherwise an artificial tsunami with a height of 8-10 meters would have immediately occurred. And then it would be just a horror for the residents of the coastal areas.