Thread by @khodorkovsky_en

🧵A chronicle of lies:

How the Putin's regime deceived its citizens and abandoned the Kursk region during the Ukrainian incursion (read on)

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) entered Kursk region on August 6th. The Russian Defense Ministry downplayed the incursion, saying that only 300 'saboteurs' had entered and were repelled.

As fighting went on, they insisted the situation was under control. Governor of the Kurst region Smirnov called for calm and issued no evacuation orders or hints of the true scale of the offensive.

The next day, August 7, the Defense Ministry reported that 260 of the 300 fighters had been killed, and the enemy’s progress deeper into Russian territory had been halted.

Same day, the AFU had stormed the towns of Korenevo and Sudzha. Residents were left in basements without water or telecommunications, some were trying to flee on their own.

Putin held a meeting and announced a large-scale Ukrainian 'provocation', but quickly moved on to discussing a kindergarten opening and his finance minister's vacation.

As time went by, footage emerged of dozens of Russian POWs. On August 8 thousands fled border areas, with one of them desperately stating that the TV was lying about everything:

‘Nobody rescued us, people saved themselves. These monsters from the administration lie, and pin medals on their own chests. People – save yourselves if you can.’

Concerned relatives bombarded emergency services with calls but were left on hold. Residents of Sudzha recorded a desperate appeal to Putin, but it too went unheeded.

He just continued to declare victory while Ukrainian troops advanced. Local authorities and Kadyrov's Tik-Tok fighters were among the first to evacuate.

The commander of the Kadyrov's Akhmat special forces, Apti Alaudinov, said nothing critical or tragic had happened. According to the Chechen commander, his division had just 'missed' the AFU troops.

Only on the evening of August 8 did a single relatively responsible person with something resembling a conscience make himself known among the regime. The head of one of the districts of Kursk region called for voluntary evacuation.

Putin clearly did not want to listen to the Kursk governor talk about the successes of Ukrainian troops. The same troops who, according to the Defense Ministry, were completely destroyed and fled across the border on the first day.

Eventually, it was revealed that the Ukrainian forces had occupied 28 settlements, advanced 12km along a 40km front, and controlled 480 square kilometers. 180,000 people were to be evacuated, with 2,000 missing.

Conscripts, who should not have been involved in the so-called 'special military operation' were left on the front lines and taken prisoner. Their fate remains unknown.

The Kursk offensive in the last two weeks exposed the Putin regime's true nature: a system built on lies, indifference, and self-preservation at the expense of its citizens' lives and safety.

Watch my new video chronicling recent events (english subtitles available):

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