1/ Russian warbloggers are very upset at the prospect of a ceasefire in Ukraine that leaves the objectives of the 'Special Military Operation' unfulfilled. One asks, "does the death of my boys mean nothing [but] a dog's dick and a hole after the assault?" ⬇️ 2/ The prominent Russian war correspondent and propagandist Alexander Sladkov has aroused controversy by arguing that Russia is not fighting for territory but "for Russia’s status in the new global world order that is currently being formed."

1/ A prominent Russian fixer is reportedly selling access to Donald Trump at the planned forthcoming Trump-Putin summit in Moscow for $2 million a head. It's likely to be aimed at Russian oligarchs seeking lucrative commercial opportunities from a US-Russia deal. ⬇️ 2/ The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel reports:

"Although the situation with Donald Trump's possible visit to Moscow is still very vague, tickets for a closed event with the US President have gone on sale. The cost is $2 million.

1/ Despite promises from the Russian government, wounded soldiers are routinely being denied medical examinations, psychiatric assistance, or prosthetic limbs, leading to sick, limbless and brain-damaged men being returned to the front lines. ⬇️
2/ The Russian warblogger Anastasia Kashevarova, who has written repeatedly about the mistreatment of Russia's wounded, has posted a comparison of official claims and the reality of what the men are facing.

1/ Vladimir Putin is demanding that Ukraine should hold a presidential election in wartime. Nazi Germany demanded the same of Britain in July 1942. This is the story of why the UK delayed holding elections throughout World War II. ⬇️ 2/ There were no General Elections in the UK between 1935 and July 1945, making the wartime Parliament the longest in modern British history. Whereas Ukraine's constitution prohibits holding elections under martial law, the UK Parliament had to vote annually to prolong itself.

1/ Without detracting at all from the stunning success of this Ukrainian operation, it's clear that Russian failings – specifically corruption and poor safety – were a major factor in making it possible.

https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1894691525801521186

2/ As discussed in the thread below, vast amounts of ammunition were stored in the open air, without any protection whatsoever.

https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1836321025207722448

1/ A civil engineer who was mobilised into the Russian army despite ill-health has escaped to Germany and spoken about the chaos and brutality he saw. His regiment was told by its commander: "You came here to die." He was later arrested and tortured for trying to flee. ⬇️ 2/ 44-year-old Georgy from Lyubertsy near Moscow has told his story to Radio Free Europe. He was mobilised in September 2022 despite serious heart problems and was sent to a training ground where he "wandered aimlessly" and "fired a few times from rusty automatic rifles".

1/ The third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a time for mourning, Russian nationalists say – not because of the destruction and huge loss of life, but because the war has failed to "heal and awaken Russia" from its "thirty-year bad dream" since the USSR fell. ⬇️ 2/ The Russian pro-war 'Soldier's Truth' Telegram channel writes that the war's anniversary allows a reappraisal of the 33-year-old phenomenon of the post-Soviet 'New Russia'. The author writes:

1/ An 'anti-crisis' video of a Russian officer condemning wounded soldiers for complaining has prompted criticism from Russian warbloggers for ignoring realities on the ground, such as extortion of compensation payments and an "epidemic" of suicides. ⬇️

https://x.com/PStyle0ne1/status/1891469625080103124

2/ The video was published by the Izvestia correspondent and military journalist Alexander Sladkov, who is generally regarded as an apologist for the Putin regime. It features an unidentified battalion commander (said to be from the 5th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade).

1/ Russian warbloggers are protesting about numerous videos of crippled Russian soldiers on crutches being sent into assaults, or being used as 'bullet sponges' to identify where the Ukrainians are firing from. ⬇️

https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1889322319052410987

2/ Anastasia Kashevarova, who has written about the issue before, says that she is seeing videos from all fronts showing badly injured soldiers on the battlefield. She writes:

"Why is this happening? There are two ways to go to war with a crutch or an Ilizarov apparatus:

1/ There's no need to resort to conspiracy theories about Trump being "compromised" to explain his support for Vladimir Putin. Nobody claims JD Vance supports Trump because he is "compromised". The truth is likely much simpler: Trump shares Putin's ideology. 2/ As the Washington Post article linked below points out, Putin promoted many aspects of MAGA ideology (anti-LGBT, anti-woke, anti-migrant, anti-abortion, anti-feminism, Christian nationalism) before they became mainstream in the Republican Party. washingtonpost.com/world/2025/02/…

1/ Russia is reported to have offered lucrative oil and gas concessions as a sweetener to get the Trump negotiating team to agree a favourable deal over Ukraine in Riyadh. ⬇️ 2/ The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel reports a source's comments on the negotiations:

"Kirill Dmitriev (Russian Direct Investment Fund) was clearly appointed to the negotiating delegation from Russia as a person who at least knows a little about business."

1/ Donald Trump's friendliness to Russia has earned praise from Russian propagandists and a wave of Trumpmania from online sellers, including MAGA hats and Trump toilet brushes. One commentator suggests he'll be declared the Messiah and will build the Third Temple in space. ⬇️ 2/ The notorious propagandist Vladimir Solovyov has broadcast a video of J.D. Vance's speech to the Munich Security Conference and has spoken approvingly of Vance's statement that negotiations between America and Russia are needed.

1/ The Russian army is using wounded soldiers as human bullet sponges, sending them out to identify Ukrainian positions by getting themselves shot. An appeal to Vladimir Putin by one man's wife illustrates how soldiers find themselves in this position. ⬇️
2/ The Russian 'Soldier's Truth' Telegram channel has published an 'appeal to the Tsar' from Sofia Sergeevna Merzlyak, the wife of 33-year-old soldier Alexander Alexandrovich Merzlyak, who is serving with the 1st Rifle Company of the 5th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.

1/ Russian warbloggers are furious about the catastrophic defeat of a Russian armoured column in the Kursk region, reportedly causing hundreds of casualties. They are bitterly critical of the commanders responsible. ⬇️

https://x.com/JimmySecUK/status/1891122148174856261

2/ The failed assault happened near the hamlet of Nikolskiy, near Malaya Loknya in Russia's Kursk region. According to the Russian 'North Channel' Telegram channel, Nikolskiy was mostly recaptured by North Korean forces, who then lost it in what may have been a failed rotation.

1/ Russian kindergarteners are being taught to throw grenades, navigate trenches, weave camouflage nets, and go through obstacle courses, as part of an increasingly intensive programme to train the next generation of Russians for war. ⬇️

2/ 2025 has been declared the "year of the defender of the Fatherland" by Vladimir Putin. Schools and local authorities have been using social media to publicise what they have been doing to commemorate it and promote nationalist-militarist values.

1/ The owners of the Russian oil tankers which sunk in the Kerch Strait in December 2024, causing damage estimated at $335 million, have been fined 600,000 rubles ($6,588). It's also emerged that they bought some of their tankers for under $13,000 each, likely from scrapyards. ⬇️ 2/ The Arbitration Court of Krasnodar Krai has fined Volgatransneft, the company which owned the ill-fated Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 tankers, 300,000 rubles for violating rules banning its tankers from operating at sea after the permitted sailing season.

1/ Russian Muslims who fight in Ukraine are to be rewarded with a free pilgrimage to Mecca, under a new initiative of the Religious Council of Muslims of Russia. Around 14 million Russians, or 10% of the total population, are Muslims. ⬇️ 2/ Veterans of the war in Ukraine are to be given a free ticket to the Hajj by the Religious Council of Muslims of Russia, which controls the number of Hajj tickets assigned to Russia. A family member can be nominated to go on the soldier's behalf.

1/ Most Russian recruits who arrive on the front lines are almost completely unaware of the nature of the war in Ukraine, say Russian warbloggers. They blame it on deliberate, conscious ignorance and say that it is exploited by commanders to throw unprepared men into assaults. ⬇️ 2/ Mobilised paratrooper, warblogger and volunteer Nikita Tretyakov writes that Russians who come to fight in Ukraine "know catastrophically little about the war."

1/ Russia is systematically sending badly wounded men back into combat, often denying them medical treatment. Previously, men were allowed to recuperate or leave the army if seriously injured; now, death appears to be the only way out for many. ⬇️

https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1889322319052410987

2/ The independent Russian news outlet Okno Press reports that since November 2024, the Russian army has routinely been sending men with category D (unfit) fitness ratings back to Ukraine to fight in the front lines. The army has ignored court rulings to release them.

1/ Only half of the artillery pieces in some Russian units are able to fire or hit targets, according to a Russian artilleryman, due to a combination of inexperienced soldiers being unable to maintain them, a lack of people to fire them, poor command and faulty ammunition. ⬇️ 2/ The Russian 'Callsign OSETIN' Telegram channel passes on the comments of an artilleryman who is fighting on the Kherson front:

1/ Reacting to videos of numerous destroyed Russian vehicles on the road to Pokrovsk, Russian warbloggers say that civilian vehicles are now used in preference to armour because commanders fear reprimands if armoured vehicles are lost. ⬇️

https://x.com/prestonstew_/status/1889055465478226233

2/ 'Military Informant' writes: "The enemy publishes footage of destroyed Russian light vehicles in the Pokrovsk direction.

As can be seen, civilian cars were converted into buggies and are used for the rapid delivery of infantry, similar to motorcycles earlier."