Sorry for the lack of updates. After getting away for a few days (something that Viktoria really needed), we both had post-vacation summer colds. Despite all that, I was keeping track of things while we were away and/or sick, so I’m just going to dump a lot of those little notes here. Lots of these things are posts from the Viber channel I follow, so things aren’t really well-sourced. There probably are news posts at the regular places, but if I’m going to have any chance of getting caught up, I’m just going to have to forego that cross-matching. I’ll add comments and context, but you may need to take some of these with a grain on salt.
From mid-July, Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin made a statement that Russian troops had hit civilian targets in Ukraine 17,300 times, compared to only about 300 strikes on military targets. This largely comports with the apparent strategies the Russian have used in Ukraine, and previously in Chechnya and Syria. Basically, it seems that if Russia hits a military target, it’s more by accident than by design.
July 16 – At least 689 missiles had been fired from Belarus since the beginning of the invasion. They may not have sent their army into Ukraine, but they are definitely aiding Russia in its efforts. See post. (The text from Google Translate: “How are missile attacks on Ukraine from the territory of Belarus. At least 689 missiles have been fired from there since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is how Belarus silently fights against us, peaceful Ukrainians.”)
July 24 – The bombing of the Mariupol theater remains a sore point for Russian “we did it all to save the people” talking points. They’ve always — and I mean since 2014 always — done projection of their actions onto their enemy, and it looks like this event will be no different. Their own “investigative report” is going to show that the Ukrainian army did it all, even finding witnesses to say that uniformed men were moving boxes into the theater before it was destroyed (the implication being that the Ukrainian army planted explosives). See post.
July 25 – Book burning/banning/destruction is part of the Russian playbook. Since one of their stated goals for the war is, essentially, the removal of the entire concept of Ukraine, they’ve ordered one school district under their control to destroy any book — regardless of content — that was published in or by Ukraine since 1991. See post.
August 5 – I’ve posted before about the issues and ineptitude that the occupying forces have displayed in attempting to get Mariupol utilities operating again. Without the basics — like clean, running water — infectious disease can spread easily. That appears to be the case in Mariupol, where the death rate is running five times greater than pre-war numbers. See post. People gather what water they can, such as from puddles, but that’s unhealthy and unsustainable. See post. (The text from Google Translate: “Despite the statement of the occupiers, problems with water supply continue in Mariupol. The water supplied to the houses is regularly turned off. Residents of the city wrote to us about this.”) Some water gets trucked in, but it’s not nearly enough for the remaining population, and it goes quickly, if you’re lucky enough to get it after standing for hours in line. See post.
But, hey, at least the Russians can keep you entertained. If there’s no bread, there can at least be a circus. They have previously driven mobile video screens around town, so that people (who don’t have electricity) can want Russian TV news reports. (I’m sure it’s gratifying to them to see how much better their lives are now, according to the Kremlin.) This time, though, they brought in some band to play in front of the destroyed theater… because those optics are just great. See post.
August 6 – These sorts of before-and-after pictures really tell the story. A beautiful city remains a pile of rubble. See post. (The text from Google Translate: “The occupying authorities stated that Mariupol will be an exemplary project where the Russian authorities will clearly demonstrate to the former Ukrainians what a strong state that works effectively is. That feeling when Mariupol was one of the most developed cities in Ukraine before the war and the arrival of the invaders.“)
August 7 – A main feature of the occupation has been the Russians and their DPR cronies to remove (steal) anything of value. This has included those few buses and electric tolleys that somehow survived the bombardments. But since even battled-damaged buses from Mariupol are better than what’s been operating for the last 8 years in Donetsk, those get pilfered and Mariupol is left barely operational dregs. See post.
August 9 – More of what I was just saying. Husks of cars (see post, watch video), and even an irrigation system gets stolen (see post, watch video).
August 10 – Still no electricity for people. Since the beginning of March. Well, unless you’re one of the occupiers living or working there. Then it’s not an issue. See post. (The text from Google Translate: “The residents of Mariupol still do not receive electricity to the homes. Despite the loud statement of the occupiers that the city is illuminated, residents write that the occupiers provide electricity to the institutions, but no to residential buildings.“)
August 11 – A lot of stuff for this date; sometimes that’s just how the channels work. First up, a look at just how depraved the occupying forces are. Your city’s been destroyed, there are soldiers everywhere demeaning you and your family, there’s been no water or electricity for nearly six months, and if you decide to go have a sit-down in what’s left of a part on what’s left of a bench, you have to worry about it being rigged with a hand grenade that will go off when you sit down. Welcome to the Russian World! See post. (The text from Google Translate: “In Mariupol, the occupiers placed mines even on children’s playgrounds. Now residents are finding them. Until now, most of the city’s yards and houses have not been surveyed and demined. Therefore, we urge residents of Mariupol to carefully move around the city.“)
If you happen to need humanitarian aid because there’s also little or no food in the city, here’s what you can expect to live on for a month: a small loaf of bread, a liter of oil, some flour, some pasta, and a few cans of meat. See post. (The text from Google Translate: “Humanitarian aid in Mariupol per month consists of: Pasta – 4 packs; Oil – 1 piece; Canned food – 8 cans; Bread – 1 piece; Flour – 1 package; Condensed milk – 2 cans“)
Something I’ve been struck by is how “abandoned” much of Mariupol looks. There are, of course, inhabited parts of the city, but there are also places where vegetation has overgrown whatever is still standing, making it look like some place that been abandoned for decades. See post. (The text from Google Translate: “Mariupol. Once well-kept and orderly areas are turning into abandoned places. No one cleans up. Quarters are overgrown with weeds. Ragweed grows everywhere, which causes dangerous allergies. No one cares about the city or the health of Mariupol residents.“)
As with the bench, above, little deadly gifts from the Russians can be found throughout the city. See post. (The text from Google Translate: “Such ‘gifts’ are left by the occupiers to the people of Mariupol. A grenade is tied directly to the door. Residents of Mariupol continue to find explosive objects throughout the city. This is how the occupiers ‘responsibly’ treat demining. The lives of the people of Mariupol are worthless to them. We urge residents to be careful!“) An English version of the post appeared in a different channel.
And the Azov soldiers that defended Mariupol continue to be the bugaboos of Russian propaganda. The Russians need to make themselves feel better by making cosplay videos. See post.
The effectiveness of the Ukrainian forces and resistance is shown by the fact that Russia has resorted to using old USSR death certificates. Given that they obfuscate and deny the number of soldier deaths, I’m surprised they didn’t just wait until they could print up more of the current form. Apparently that wasn’t an option. See post.
And lastly, Russian corruption is top to bottom. There have been stories about that with regard to their military, but it affects their occupation efforts as well. “Skimming a little off the top” is just the standard way that things are done. See post.
August 12 – The Russians probably will not be able to (not that they really want to) restore basic utilities to Mariupol. I recognize the logic of targeting those infrastructure elements during their invasion, but they clearly had no plans for what comes after. Were they thinking they wouldn’t win, so they didn’t have to plan for occupation? I kind of doubt it. They took over Donetsk (the big city of the area) eight years ago, and much of the damage from that part of the conflict has still not been repaired. They utterly destroyed 50% of Mariupol, and yet all their propaganda was saying it would be built back better than before. Total BS; pablum for the Russian people. See post. (The text from Google Translate: “There will be no high-quality drinking water and full electricity supply in Mariupol. 90% of the infrastructure was destroyed by the occupiers. The Russians destroyed the key sources of water supply from Siverskyi Donets. It is impossible to restore it. They take water from the Old Crimea Reservoir. But there is technical water and its volume will be enough only for 9 months. Mayor Vadym Boychenko reports. The occupiers supply electricity (380V), instead of 220. The causes fire in the damaged houses.“)
And, of course, they’re cowards. The minute things start blowing up — whether from the army attacking or from partisan and/or covert groups operating in occupied areas — the “leadership” packs up and gets out. The only reason the so-called “mayor” appointed by the Russians is sticking around is because [a] he’s not “really” Russian since he’s only an ethnic Russian from Donetsk, and [b] they doubled his security force to give the illusion of safety. See post.
August 13 – I know there’s still some basic public transportation in Mariupol, but there’s not much — see the posts above. But people have to get around, if the can. This post just really struck me with how little of that public transit infrastructure is left. See post.
I’ve been working on this post for a bit, and I think I’ve just a little over half-way through all the content I’ve collected. I’ll put the rest into a second “catching up” post, which hopefully I can get finished before the long weekend is over. (But given how long this much has taken, I’m not completely hopeful at the moment…)