Ukraine War Day #147: The Terrors Of Delayed Liberation

Dear Readers:

Today I have just a couple of quick stories, but both of a sinister content. We’ll start with this one, it involves a very sinister man named Vitaly Kim. Kim currently serves as the Governor of the Nikolaev Oblast, and is a Ukrainian Nationalist of the highest order, despite his Korean ethnic background. (Technically called “Koryo-Sam” for Soviet citizens of Korean origin. Vitaly’s father Alexander was a famous basketball player and coach, in Soviet times).

Vitaly Kim: Has a big mouth and likes to mock the Russian army.

Kim is known for his Banderite militance, and also for his cruelty against those he considers to be “Russian collaborators”. He is a member of Zelensky’s “Servant of the People” Party, and Zel appointed him to the Governor gig in 2020. Once the Russian army takes Nikolaev (and they are getting pretty close now), then Kim will be out of a job. Or rather, he will become one of those “Governors in Exile” in the Ukraine, similar to the Governors of Lisichansk and Crimea. They still receive a paycheck, but their actual job duties are similar to those of a gelding on a stud farm. Sounds like a sweet gig, but this fate will not be acceptable to a man like Kim, who thrives on wielding actual power.

The Nikolaev Gubernia in Imperial Russia

Reporter Anton Antonov relates Governor Kim’s latest announcement to the public: He is going to “shut down” the city, in other words, nobody gets in or out, for the course of several days.

This is so that, as the Russian army creeps ever closer, Kim’s Nazi goons can conduct “raids” against those citizens, dwelling within Nikolaev, “who support the Russians.” In declaring this promised “raid against collaborators” Kim is not necessarily referring to actual Russian spies and agents, who are probably present. Mostly he means ordinary citizens who may be suspected of nourishing bad thoughts within their heads. One needs to keep in mind that the Kiev junta, in essence, regards this whole swathe of territory, from the Donbass along the Black Sea coast, as “occupied”, in the sense that they are the occupiers. They know damn well that at least half the population, probably more, does not support the junta and are just waiting patiently and praying for the Russian army to arrive. Most of the people in these parts despise the Ukrainian junta; and the junta, in turn, despises them back. Hence, the only way the junta can stay in control is via a regime of police terror.

A similar situation is brewing in the city of Slavyansk, according to reporter Dmitry Zubarev. Once again, the Russian army is approaching, and “liberation” is only a matter of time. But that time means terror and death for many people, the longer it is delayed.

Another Bucha?

The Slavyansk situation might turn out even worse than Nikolaev, because it sounds, from the description, that a Bucha-type provocation is being prepared there. Well, this is all according to LPR official Rodion Miroshnik, so we can hope that he proves to be wrong.

Rodion Miroshnik

Miroshnik: “Local citizens [of Slavyansk] report to us that some soldiers have been observed in the city. They are wearing Russian uniforms and decked with St. George ribbons. They are just strolling around the city, making themselves at home, and taking selfies with the local population.”

Problem: There are not actually any Russian or Allied soldiers in Slavyansk (yet). Therefore, Miroshnik advises local people to treat these guys with suspicion and not fraternize with them. They could be trying to suss out Russian sympathizers, who would then become the victims of a new Bucha-type massacre. “In the areas closest to the front lines, functionaries of the Ukrainian regime have already announced a safari to hunt down collaborators and those sympathetic to the Allied forces. This might be one of their tricks.” One should also note, in this regard, that the most “Russia-sympathetic” cities such as Odessa and Kharkov, are the very places where the Ukrainian army deploys what is left of their most fanatical Nazi battalions, for example Azov (what’s left of it), and the Right Sektor battalions. Those guys are noted for their sadism, they regard the civilians of these areas as hostiles, at best, and subhumans, at worse. Therefore, anybody who is unfortunate enough to live in these cities, may be subject to a few days or nights of terror, in the immediate future.

One cannot envy the citizens of these towns, who are faced with agonizing no-win choices. For example, the citizens of Seversk, which is next target on the Russian chopping block, were told, by their Ukrainian overlords, to evacuate into refugee centers in Western Ukraine. This is was a kind of loyalty test. Many locals refused, because (a) they didn’t want to leave their homes for Western towns where they know the Ukrainian-speaking locals hate them; and (b) they believed the Russian army would enter their city at any moment anyhow. So many stayed. The Russians were supposed to take Seversk a week ago! But then they got stuck on the outskirts, encountering unexpected Ukrainian resistance. Oh, the Russians will take Seversk, that much is certain. But every day they delay, is a day of uncertainty and fear for those stuck inside the city.