Tymofiy Mylovanov Profile picture
Oct 3, 2024 13 tweets 2 min read Read on X
Retreat, loss, and survival in Ukraine

Our former student writes about the retreat of his brigade from Vuhledar this week. It is a heavy but honest reading

“The 72nd Brigade left Vuhledar battered, with heavy losses. 1/
Before that, the Russians had already reached the areas through which the brigade would retreat and set up firing positions in garages behind the cemetery. 2/
The 72nd’s withdrawal was brutal. Vehicles, armored carriers were hit and burned. After days of agony in the besieged city before that, the soldiers were drained. By the dawn of retreat, not all had the strength to move to try break through 3/
Some stayed behind, committing themselves to death to cover the retreat 4/
By a cruel twist, while my brigade was clawing its way out of Vuhledar, people across the country were sipping coffee, going to cinemas, and strolling to street music 5/
Well-wishes, both genuine and routine, were offered to the soldiers – even as they were dying, abandoned to their fate 6/
I have no way to bridge these two worlds - the peaceful Ukraine and the military, each marching relentlessly on its path 7/
We were reborn there in the war in the East. Born in Kyiv, we were forged again in the fields and basements of Vuhledar. Now those empty, iron-pierced spaces are our homeland, and we are strangers on the Kyiv’s streets 8/
In these three years of the war, unfamiliar faces have filled the sidewalks and metro, with new expressions I don’t recognize or can comprehend 9/
They seem light, translucent; we are grim and dirty, stained by a darkness that no bath or barbershop [a reference to the hipster culture of Kyiv] can wash away 10/
Now, the 72nd, driven from its den, risks annihilation in the open fields under artillery and FPV drones. The Russians’ control from Vuhledar’s heights stretches 15 kilometers, nearly to Kurakhove 11/
Pray, to anyone you can, that the 72nd – my first and forever brigade (though I left long ago) – isn’t ground into dust beyond Vuhledar 12/
Pray the remnants of this once-mighty force aren’t destroyed, that it has a chance to rise again, to carry its hard-won experience and pain into future victories (Igor Lutsenko) 13X

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More from @Mylovanov

Jun 25
Everyone wins from NATO Summit — except Russia.

NATO states raise defense spending to 5% of GDP - to satisfy Trump. The EU secures continued U.S. backing, and Ukraine stays at the table.

Only Moscow is isolated, with no sanctions relief or diplomatic breakthrough, NYT. 1/ Image
Trump got a signed commitment: 5% of GDP on defense — 3.5% for military, 1.5% for infrastructure.

That’s over double the old 2% target. Trump will use it as proof he “made Europe pay” — his core campaign line. 2/
NATO allies avoided a confrontation with Trump — no talks of Russia’s sanctions, no push on Ukraine’s membership.

In return, they got to keep U.S. backing and avoided any open threat of withdrawal. 3/
Read 6 tweets
Jun 25
FT: Ukrainian refugees have employment rates twice as high as average refugees.

3 years after Russia’s invasion, 5 million Ukrainians remain abroad.

Their financial conditions are rebounding to pre-war levels with only 20% planing to go back to Ukraine. 1/ Image
2/3 of Ukrainian refugees hold university degrees; over 40% have master’s or higher often surpassing host populations.

In Poland and Czech Republic, Ukrainians eased labor shortages. 2/
Most Ukrainian refugees work below their skill level in sectors like food service and manufacturing due to language and credential barriers.

Ukraine faces potential loss of highly-educated women and children, threatening both economic recovery and demographic outlook. 3X
Read 4 tweets
Jun 25
After Iran, Trump is again warm on Ukraine: I met with Zelensky. He couldn’t have been nicer.

We are going to see if we can make some Patriots available. Will see what happens about money [for Ukraine]

Putin is misguided. It is possible he is an enemy 0/
Q: Did you discuss cease-fire with Zelenskyy?

Trump: No, I wanted to know how he's doing. We had rough times. I think what I took from the meeting - he couldn’t have been nicer. 1/
Q: Is the U.S. ready to sell anti-air missile systems to Ukraine?

Trump: They do want to have the Patriots. And we’re going to see if we can make some available. They are very hard to get. We need them too. We were supplying them to Israel. 2/
Read 7 tweets
Jun 25
What do we learn from Rutte’s messages posted by Trump?

How to speak to President Trump effectively

1. Frame the result as his personal win.

2. Use his language: BIG, WIN, really really important.

3. Create a narrative where he takes bold action and delivers the outcome

1/ Image
Frame the result as his personal win.

“thank you for your decisive action in Iran”

“You are flying into another big success in The Hague... we’ve got them all signed onto 5 percent!”

“Europe is going to pay in a BIG way... and it will be your win.”

2/ Image
Use his language: BIG, WIN, really really important.

Speak in bold strokes.

“Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment...”

“Europe is going to pay in a BIG way...”

3/
Read 4 tweets
Jun 25
China starts framing the public opinion for an invasion, I think, learning from Russians.

Reuters: Beijing says it’s impossible to invade what is already Chinese land.

1/ Image
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te is pushing back.

In two speeches this week he said: Taiwan is of course a country. The Republic of China is 113 years old. Communist China? Just over 70. 2/
Beijing invited WWII veterans from the Republic of China army to a parade this September - to claim their legacy.

Taiwan’s defense minister Wellington Koo: The war of resistance was led and won by the Republic of China, not Communist China. This is without a doubt. 3/
Read 7 tweets
Jun 25
Here’re results of NATO Summit:

NATO leaders agreed [finally!] to invest 5% of GDP annually on defence and security spending by 2035.

Declaration also calls Russia a long term threat to Euro-Atlantic security. 1 / Image
It includes a promise of further support to Ukraine, and its security contributes to NATO countries, but it stops short of directly condemning Russia.

[In 2024, NATO blamed Russia directly] 2/
5-point declaration includes reaffirming that 32 countries’ ironclad commitment to collective defense as enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – that an attack on one is an attack on all. 3X
Read 4 tweets

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