Woke Up To My Dad Watching The News. So First Words I Heard This Morning Were Lady's From Dnipro City

Valerie Celis for Bianco Artico, "AMICA ITALIA" Photographed By: Christophe Jouany (1996)

AND they’re called Tatars, not tartars. Tartar is a sauce.

there is nothing essential about russian culture that puts the country on a warpath against its neighbors; there is nothing inherently cruel, violent, or sadistic to be found in it. there is likewise nothing about azerbaijanis or turks that makes them predisposed to barbarity against armenians, kurds, greeks. we are going to see all this happen again and again and again if we buy into this superficial, reactionary argument

I've never been this close to leaving tumblr forever than I am now. Y'all are so humanistic, so righteous and merciful, when it's not your country that is being bombed into the stone age, not your people tortured, executed, shot and thrown into a mass grave with their hands tied simply for being citizens of a certain country, speaking a certain language. Not your babies being torn apart by missiles, buried under rubble. Not your relatives held in one of the many torture dungeons, being electrocuted through wires attached to their genitals. Not your houses leveled down, burned with everything inside, every little thing you loved or cared for.

Hell, we can even tone it down a notch. It's not you who is being left without electricity and water, without heating in winter, because it's not you who russia is trying to beat/freeze into submission. It's not you going to bed to the sound of an air raid siren and wondering if you'll wake up tomorrow. It's not you receiving insults, slurs and threats from russians. No, they probably don't have any problem with you, but even if they do, luckily for you, you don't speak russian. Because if you did, you could go to literally any place they hang out, any voice or text chat, any social media and ask them yourself. If only you'd spoke Russian, you could ask them what they think about the genocide carried out by their country, their people. And then you wouldn't have any more questions. Then you wouldn't dare to say it's "racist" to call russians what they are - murderers, thieves and their accomplices.

I never said that all russians support this war, this genocide. And I will never say it, it's just statistically impossible. But many of them do, and another large portion simply doesn't care, which in my opinion is even worse. I have less disgust and hatred for russians who say: "go-go pootin, all khokhols must die", then to those who mumble: "I'm not into politics". Because you can't afford to stay neutral and passive when your country is trying to obliterate an entire nation.

You know, those missiles that kill our people and destroy our infrastructure, they are launched from "peaceful" russian cities. Warplanes that fly to kill us fly - they fly over the heads of the "innocent" russians, who are filming it on their phones and cheering on. The only times they would be sad or pissed about it is when those planes suddenly crush on their homes. Or when something flies into their city in exchange for those missiles that flew out of there. This is when they get mad and demand to kill us more effectively.

Lately we are seeing many protests from the mothers and wives of those "poor" russian men who have been drafted into army. Do you know what they are protesting against? Of course you don't, because you don't speak russian, you don't care enough to find out. No, they aren't protesting against the war, genocide, bombings of cities of a neighboring country. They don't demand for the war to end. They demand that their sons and husbands not be sent to the very front line, they demand that they be placed on the 2-3 line of defense, where it is safe. Or they demand better equipment for their men, again, to kill the citizens of a neighboring country more effectively. Because they are not against the genocide, they just don't want their men to hurt during it. Those of us who understand russian language don't need to look at any polls and statistics. We can just ask them ourselves, and we hear their responds very clearly. Even from our own relatives who live in russia or from our former friends. And I wouldn't wish this horrible realization on anyone. Now there are more and more russians who don't support this war. Because they are losing it. They would have absolutely no problem with it if they could "take Kyiv in two days" as was planned. But now they have regrets.

I'm not asking you to blame and ostracize all russians. That's not the point I'm making here. But maybe - just maybe - you can't forgive people for things they didn't do to you? Maybe you can't be forgiving on behalf of others? If you live somewhere in the US, the russians can never harm you, your city will not be bombed, your relatives won't be kidnapped and tortured. Of course you don't hate them, of course you don't condemn them - it's not because you are morally superior - it's because you literally don't have to suffer from their aggression, either physical nor verbal. Your life isn't constantly endangered because of this particular country and people. Of course you can forgive and defend them all you want, and pat yourself on the head afterwards. Such a nice kind human being you are, not at all insensitive.

It's not like there are people who lost their homes, their loved ones. People living under constant shelling, without power and heat, people who survive day after day against all odds. But those people aren't as merciful as you. Only you are the beacon of humanism in this unfair world, good for you.

russia is a terrorist state!

russians have caused another disaster. an environmental disaster. another heinous crime. the russians destroyed the hydroelectric power plant dam in Ukraine.

before destroying the dam, the russians raised the water level to a record-high 17.5 meters by keeping the gates closed. deliberately to cause as much destruction as possible. the power of the stream is incredible, the water destroys even tower cranes, it is scary to imagine what happens to people and animals.

there are already known cases of terrible deaths of animals in zoos and eco-parks, domestic animals that people didn't have time to save, animals that cannot be saved, stray animals, cats and dogs that drowned helplessly and continue to drown because people don't have time to save everyone.

someone's homes and lives destroyed, thousands of people at risk of drowning, Ukraine and Ukrainians once again suffer from russian terrorism. how can russia chair the UN Security Council? how does the world still tolerate russians and do business with russia? I'm asking you, please spread the word, don't be indifferent. we fight every day for our freedom and independence! for the freedom of the world! support us in the fight against evil. russians are murderers and terrorists. russia must be stopped!

THIS

Ukrainian soldiers tearing down russian propaganda poster to see old billboard with Taras Shevchenko and his poem:

And glory, mountains blue, to you,  In ageless ice encased!  And glory, freedom’s knights, to you,  Whom God will not forsake.  Keep fighting — you are sure to win!  God helps you in your fight!  For fame and freedom march with you,  And right is on your side!