Mufti Said Ismagilov on the abuse of prisoners in Donetsk: With your hatred you do more damage

By Said Ismagilov, Mufti of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Ukraine “Ummah”
08.24.2014
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine

So, my friends. That whole shameful move in Donetsk with the “parade” of prisoners was calculated exactly with your reaction in mind. The aim is to stir up hatred and aversion towards Donetsk residents, so that you do not want to live with them in the same country under the same sky. Have you forgotten that we have a war in our country? This is a part of the political strategies and information warfare. Separating the territory by force of arms did not work. So a new project was initiated – let them hate each other and give up Donetsk willingly. For me it is obvious. And the more you shout and rage, the more you help them. With your hatred you do more damage than a whole column of armoured vehicles. So quickly, cut it out with the hysterics.

To be honest I expected worse from the “action” than what in fact happened. Because people in an exalted state in a crowd, after months of brainwashing, are capable of completely wild and crazy acts. But, fortunately, among the audience there were only two or three hundred “people.” That is catastrophically little for a city in which hundreds of thousands of people are still left. And if you count the citizens of nearby Makiivka and other populated areas? The fact that people did not come to this shameful enforcement of punishment, I think is the real indicator. They didn’t come for various reasons, but they did not come. And that is good. It is absolutely inappropriate to blame those Donetsk residents who are against this shame in that they did nothing against it. It is mortally dangerous. They would shoot, beat and kill [them] for real there. This is not a time for jokes. Anyone who spoke out in public would have become a part of that column. In this act I see an approaching completion of the cycle of evolution of a particular ideology. If I am not mistaken, even Hitler did not think of holding such a public “parade.” However, it may be even worse. The propaganda is not slowing down. So, when it seems that you have reached the bottom, you may still hear knocking from below.

And another thing. Any society can be “equalized” by a minimum necessary percentage of reasonable, moral people who will raise it by their example. For that to happen it is necessary that all adequate residents of Donetsk come back and become the new foundation of civil society in Donetsk. Then we will definitely destroy the plans of those who thought up this “parade.” So, no yelling that: “I cannot live with these people any longer.” Remember, this was all calculated. Tell yourself firmly: “soon we will go out and run a parade wearing embroidery and flying our flags, we will sing the hymn and give out balloons to children in our peaceful home city of Donetsk. And you will see it become reality.

Source: Said Ismagilov FB

 

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Azov Battalion: Andrew Snitka, 18 years old

By Emma Mayeva, Vyshneve, Ukraine
08.25.2014
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine

He gave his life for the sake of the lives of others.

He was 18 years old.
Andrew Snitka.
He had no family, he was an orphan.
He found family in the Azov Battalion where he went into the ranks of the first volunteers.
July 20, 2014 Illovaisk.
He covered the grenade with his body to save the lives of those who were nearby …
Today he was buried.
His brothers came to say goodbye to him … his closest relatives, those whom he loved more than life …

Source: Emma Mayeva FB

 

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Letters from Nadiya Savchenko to her sister Vira

By Vira Savchenko, Nadiya Savchenko’s sister
08.2o.2014
Translated by Julia Khodor Beloborodov and edited by Voices of Ukraine

Nadiya sent me another letter through Ilya Novikov [one of her lawyers]. I want to share some details of her life as she describes them (I’m happy! Nadiya’s at her best!):

“Another time I asked them why they don’t have coffee (at the pre-trial detention center/remand prison). They said that ‘prison is used to tea,’ and then added that ‘Coffee is more of your Western thing, in Russia people like tea.’ So I said: ‘Your whole Russia is a prison.’

A conflict arose between me and prison guards (that work at the facility), in general they are regular people and nice, and don’t treat me badly. But they have this one way of reporting that goes like this: ‘Citizen superior, there’s one prisoner in cell #60. On watch for the cell of Savchenko, N.V. reporting.’ And one conscientious first lieutenant (prison guard) is demanding that I say it at check-in time. I always refuse to have this stupidity pass my lips, and explain that he is a citizen of Russia, but I am a citizen of Ukraine, and not a ‘prisoner,’ but an illegally-kidnapped person from Ukraine, he’s not my superior (I have my own superiors), and to me he’s the same kind of criminal as they hold in their facility. We argue about this every morning, and they are already promising to put me in the hole for this.

When they put me in here, I started cleaning up the cell right away and started chasing a small spider to kill it, but then I thought what am I doing? That’s the only friend I have here, a living creature. Ever since, the spider lives with me and sometimes climbs on the table and takes a walk while I have lunch.”

Source: Vira Savchenko FB
Translation: Julia Khodor Beloborodov FB

Read more:
Captured Ukrainian Officer Nadiya Savchenko: Your Russiah authorities will kill me. All of Ukraine is behind me. 

Kidnapped Pilot Nadiya Savchenko’s letter to Ukrainian President

A first-hand experience of Nadiya Savchenko’s court hearing

 

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Dmitry Tymchuk’s Military Blog: Summary – August 26, 2014

Dmitry Tymchuk, Coordinator, Information Resistance
08.26.2014
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine

Brothers and sisters!

information_resistance_logo_engHere’s the Summary for August 26, 2014 (for previous summary, please see Summary for August 20).

The bad news:

1. Russia has lost its remaining shreds of decency. The lying, conniving and treachery of the Kremlin leadership goes beyond any limits imaginable. The undeclared war against Ukraine is becoming more and more obvious, even to the most naive of outsider observers.

Yesterday, units of the Russian army were fighting their way into the Donbas by breaking through into Ukrainian territory in two directions at once. The Ukrainian army punched them in the teeth. Russian paratroopers were taken prisoner. The Russian Ministry of Defense declared that the Russian soldiers ended up on the Ukrainian territory “by accident.”

It gets worse. Russian MI-24 helicopters fired unguided missiles at Ukrainian border guards stationed on Ukrainian territory. Four of our border guards were killed, three more wounded.

To say that Moscow’s cynicism is astounding–is to say nothing. For months on end, Russians have been “accidentally” killing Ukrainians on Ukrainian soil and “accidentally” supplying arms to terrorists; they also “accidentally” downed a Malaysian Boeing [MH-17] (while trying to “accidentally” shoot down a Ukrainian AN-26). I think it would only be logical if during Putin’s next visit to any civilized country, he would be accidentally arrested, accidentally tried and accidentally hanged (true, most civilized countries eschew the death penalty … but accidents happen).

In reality, Putin did not invent any “hybrid war” (African countries fought in this war format for half of the 20th century). His accomplishment is that he invented a “war for cowards.” Its essence lies in the fact that, before Putin, even the most cunning and treacherous dictator would somehow be responsible for the aggression he started. Putin is the first to come up with a way to use overwhelming lies and disingenuity to drown the neighboring country in blood, while bearing no responsibility for the slaughter. There is neither intelligence nor strategic brilliance here–only ingrained villainy.

2. Moscow is going to push another “humanitarian convoy” into Ukraine.

With his little eyes gleaming like a seasoned kleptomaniac, Sergey Lavrov, head of the Russian MFA and a professional propagandist declared, “Yesterday, we sent an official note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, informing [them] of our intention to prepare the next convoy of humanitarian aid.”

So, these bastards no longer bother to get permission to bring cargo into a foreign country. They simply “inform” of it. Then again, after the first “humanitarian aid” illegally entered into the Donbas, it would have been hard to expect otherwise.

3. Ukrainian media spread some sad news–at the current “Customs Union–Ukraine–European Union” meeting in Minsk, Belarus, Putin dedicated “less than 3% of his speech” to the armed conflict in Ukraine.

I’m a bit confused–what is so strange about that? Do you often see a maniac and a murderer flaunting his deeds in public? Like any criminal, VVP [Putin] will savor the details of his self-made Donbas massacre later, in a close circle of henchmen, with his sidekick [Sergey] Shoygu pouring prison chifir, the slag [Dmitry] Kiselyov huddling by the marble Kremlin toilet, and the merry jokester [Vladimir] Zhirinovsky beating on a guitar and singing The Folsom Prison Blues.

In public, Putin cannot afford such luxury.

The good news:

1. The situation in the ATO area, unfortunately, gives no cause to launch celebratory fireworks, but neither is there reason to panic and shout ‘all is lost.’

According to our information, adequate measures are being used in the Ilovaisk area–we cannot give out the details (and hope it isn’t a false start). Troubling messages arrive from the south, but we found no confirmation to the reports of some wide-scale “advance” of Russian troops on Novoazovsk (our data shows that clashes are happening in this area, but those involve enemy forces that broke through earlier that have not been destroyed yet–we are currently confirming this information).

At the same time, the ATO forces are carrying out raids, and simultaneously regrouping in several areas of the operation. We hope to see these actions followed by more optimistic reports.

AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin, Presidential Press Service

2. President Poroshenko, in the meeting with the heads of the Eurasian troika and EU representatives in Minsk, suggested that all parties in the conflict in Ukraine exit from it “while saving face.”

How the current negotiations in Minsk will end, and what result they will give today, if any–that we don’t know. At least, for now. But it is clear that Putin has two options–to leave the situation now, with his hands bloody to the elbows, or to drown in that blood entirely. Hopefully, he understands that in the history of the world, such blood baths have ended well for no one.

3. Today, at an urgent meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, it was decided that–security forces will buyout all military equipment produced by Ukroboronprom [Ukrainian Defense Industry] State Enterprise and immediately ship it off to the combat action area. Repair of military equipment from now on will be carried out without delays, and armaments promptly issued from the MOD warehouses on requisition of the ATO forces.

I think that if such a decision had taken place two months ago, the ATO would have gone much better thus far. However, military officials still have a chance to sabotage this useful initiative even now. Let’s hope that will not be the case.

Source: Dmitry Tymchuk FB
Image sources 1, 2.

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Poroshenko and Putin shook hands (PHOTO + VIDEO)

By Ukrainska Pravda
08.26.2014
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine

The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin shook hands before a meeting in Minsk, as was reported by Reuters correspondent Jack in his microblog on Twitter, reports Ukrainian Pravda.

What they talked about or if they talked among themselves at all, was not reported.

“#Putin and #Poroshenko have shaken hands. The festivities in #Minsk are underway!” –wrote Stubbs.

In addition, as noted by the press secretary of the president of Ukraine Svyatoslav Tsegolko, Poroshenko is the only one here who does not use a translator: neither English, nor Russian.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda

 

 

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