я не беру совсем никаких взяток. Вот если бы вы, например, предложили мне взаймы рублей триста — ну, тогда совсем дело другое.
(“I don’t take bribes. But if you, for example, were to offer me a loan of around 300 rubles, well, that’s a different matter…”)
Gogol, “Revizor” [The Government Inspector]
Dear Readers:
In a scene straight out of Gogol’s play, the Ukrainian government has announced its plan to audit General Zaluzhny. An Inspector General (or perhaps American auditing firm?) will be dispatched to study the soldier’s bank accounts, for example.
To help us survive this hilarious comedy, I have this piece by reporter Anastasia Kulikova. Who interviews, among others, our old friend Larisa Shesler. To get her reaction to the news that President Zelensky has initiated an audit of his rival General Zaluzhny. Zelensky has been trying his darndest to fire Zaluzhny, but the latter, like a modern day Bartleby the Scrivener, just will not go away!
“I prefer not to,” murmurs General Bartleby. ”Fine,” retorts Zelensky. ”I will hire an auditing firm.” Or rather, it is Zelensky’s bosom buddy Mikhail Podolyak, who has undertaken the process of auditing Zaluzhny. Hoping to find some dirt that they can use against the General. According to Podolyak, the auditors will be combing the accounts going back as far as two years, in their attempt to find dirt. Podolyak: ”We will be looking for two years back, especially in regards to what happened in 2023 [the failed counter-offensive], we know exactly what happened there. And we will either take, or not take, appropriate measures based on the results of this audit. This is just a normal process.”
Well, as Gogol once wrote: ”На зеркало неча пенять, коли рожа крива.“ (“Don’t blame the mirror if your mug looks ugly!”)
Human Rights activist and political analyst Larisa Shesler: ”In my view, the idea of auditing the Ukrainian Armed Forces came about within Zelensky’s office, given the fact that Zaluzhny would not leave his post voluntarily. Therefore, it seems that the leaders in Kiev are trying to build a hefty judicial foundation to get rid of him.”
Shesler believes it will be rather easy, even child’s play, for the auditors to find irregularities. Given that the army is just as corrupt as every other institution in Ukraine. ”For starters, anybody can see the glaring gaps in the defenses of the Ukrainian army, and in the construction of defensive barriers. Secondly, there have been numerous corruption scandals. The Defense Ministry and the armed forces are famous for massive thievery of voluntary donations and of money that was supposedly allocated for the purchase of weapons and ammunition. Once they start poking around in all of these machinations, they may well find traces of Zaluzhny. Especially if they are told to discover such traces [при необходимости].”
Shesler believes that they may leave Zaluzhny a way out. The audit is just another form of blackmail: If Zaluzhny becomes more tractable and leaves his post voluntarily, then probably they will put the brakes on the audit. It all depends on his level of stubbornness. Which, in turn, depends on the depths of his ego.
Awful Avalanche 
I do enjoy reading your posts.
Until today I was not aware of ‘Bartleby the Scrivener’. Now thanks to you ( and Wikipedia) I now at least understand your deft analogy. Thank you for expanding my literary understanding.
I was aware of Gogol’s ‘Revizor’, but only because Ray McGovern mentioned it on the Judge Napolitano podcast yesterday. I did check out the Danny Kaye film ‘The Government Inspector’ on McGovern’s recommendation, but Danny Kaye is not to my taste.
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Thanks, Derek! I haven’t had a chance yet to watch the Judge Nap podcast (with Ray McGovern), but it doesn’t surprise me that Ray used the same literary analogy, since Gogol’s Revizor is so obvious to anyone who has studied Russian literature. (Which I imagine McGovern has, being a long-time spy.) The plot of Gogol’s hilarious play concerns a travelling rogue and conman who is mistaken for a government auditor, and just decides to ride with it, since the mistaken identity brings him so many benefits. (And also exposes the seamy underbelly of Russian provincial society!)
If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend, meanwhile same for Bartleby, it’s just a short story (not like Melville’s whale of a tale, Moby Dick) and can be read in a single sitting! Zaluzhny really does remind me a bit of Bartleby, except that Bartleby was not a sun-worshipping Nazi.
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According to Simplicius76 Zalu is being pressed to commit political suicide by being fobbed off with the ambassadorship to the Untied Knidgom*:
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/avdeevka-defenses-continue-to-crumble
*This is not a typo. Check Roald Dahl for Vermicious Knids.
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Actually, that sounds like a sweet gig. If I were him, I’d take it. No real job duties, just hanging around, all the food he can eat, all the beer he can drink, and all the girls he can….
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And a readymade position as puppet regime in exile “president” after Ukranazistan collapses.
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A perfect position to oversee a multi-decade terrorist campaign…and just imagine the money to be made managing a “paperclip” operation for all those cheesy rodents who weren’t offered a direct ratline by DC/London’s 3LAs. I can see the right man breaking into song.
“Once that you’ve decided on killing
First you make a stone of your heart
And if you find that your hands are still willing
Then you can turn a murder into art…
Now you can join the ranks of the illustrious
In history’s great dark hall of fame
All our greatest killers were industrious
At least the ones that we all know by name..”
Murder By Numbers – Police/G Sumner/A Summers
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Sweet! So we are all in agreement, that Zaluzhny should take the gig in London?
I vote for Budanov to take over the army and launch his super-trouper counter-offensive – yay!
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thanks yalensis!
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What if General Zaluzhny sends a group of his own (coughs politely) auditors to ensure that the Zelensky team plays fair in its assessment of the General’s records and probity? I’m struggling to imagine what level of protection auditors would need to complete the investigation in as free and unbiased manner as possible.
As for Bartleby, it’s available free online. Wonderful story.
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I know! I mean, if I were Zaluzhny, I’d be laughing my Mister Potato-Head off: “You call ME corrupt! Hahahahaha! Let’s audit YOUR bank account, Comrade Goloborodko! Or, should I say, multiple bank accounts!”
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Apparently the general is to be sent off to the UK to be the next ambassador there. Perhaps the audit will be performative and last until something changes in the calculus, its results left to depend on the winds of Zelensky’s fortunes… insurance, in other words.
If I recall, the UK favored Zaluzhny, while the US preferred Zelensky or perhaps Budanov if all the parts of Zel cannot be found. Zaluzhny to London looks like an out for the man, a positioning of a government-in-exile, and a sword hung over Zelensky’s head. Hence the audit for old-fashioned kompromat insurance–certainly Zaluzhny will take lots of that on various people with him to London; another good reason for the Brits to keep him close.
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I don’t know the source of this MOA commenter’s long remark/quote[?]* but, I agree. The take, which can be summed up as; the war/slaughter will continue until Odessa is taken. It has interesting info about Chechen and Georgian fighters being recycled/relocated to Odessa when their original efforts to facilitate DC/London’s war against Russia failed [one presumes the ratlines were provided by DC/London 3LAs].
I would encourage those anticipating an internal collapse to consider Ossi/#60 description of how normal life is there..that is if you are considered part of the Galician led occupation forces. The idea that Galicians wouldn’t use trained fighters at the front but, as occupation forces is interesting.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2024/02/ukraine-an-army-without-officers-has-no-chance-of-winning-.html?cid=6a00d8341c640e53ef02c8d3a65c1e200c#comment-6a00d8341c640e53ef02c8d3a65c1e200c
An German RT link was provided later but, I could not verify or, find an Anglo-analogue:
https://rtde.live/international/195300-warum-odessa-fuer-gesamte-spezialoperation-entscheidend-ist/
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Shockingly bad move. The general is genuinely popular (mostly due to propaganda; the guy strikes me as a mediocrity at best, but he’s been presented as the genius savior of the nation). He has a depth of support Zelensky doesn’t have, including a backing of the core Nazis in the army. Zelensky is going to get himself coup’d with this; absolutely no one is going to buy any obviously trumped up corruption charges.
And mediocre though he may be, there’s no one better to replace him. The collapse of the increasingly husk-like Ukrainian army will only accelerate.
I know it’s been two years, so who knows how long it’ll go on for, but we may actually be approaching the end game now. First slowly, then all at once.
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When Nuland flew to Kiev to resolve the dispute, a lot of people thought she would take Zaluzhny’s side; instead, she took Zelensky’s side. I think people don’t give Zelensky enough credit for being a master political mind, he seems to be really good at Office Politics, and not just playing it on TV.
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The problem is, if we extend this corporate metaphor, the company is collapsing, and they’ve decided to fire the head of manufacturing and replace him with the head marketing guy.
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Or with the mall-cop!
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That Avdeevka pincer is being felt excruciatingly in Kiev, but also in London and Washington. The Ukrainian army is losing. The U.S State Department lobs Nuland in for a maidan-in-moonlight appearance, replete with the predictable “Putin on borrowed time/Slava Ukraine” mantra. With characteristic delusion, TeamBiden thinks this will quell the bad vibes and optics emanating from Kiev. The Pentagon keeps mum. The Pentagon perhaps can deduce military failure.
But this is an Atlanticist alliance as well as a NATO one.
England has been implacably Russiophobic since the 1830s, when the “Great Game” commenced and the Anglos -Wade and Mcnaghton and Alexander Burnes, competed with Russian diplomat explorers to establish centres of power and commerce in the regions now known as Afghanistan. The Anglos contrived, intrigued, betrayed, plundered and pillaged throughout their progress, with their sepoy army of Punjabi sikhs. The Russians retired from the ensuing chaos, but it was a war the British soundly lost, and Mcnaghton and Burnes were famously butchered into little pieces. This was the origin of the “Great Game” that is still being played out now.
It is as if GCHQ is blind to history. Such is the delusional power of faith in one’s exceptionalism. The Anglos- those in England (with their German chums in the BND) now believe that Russia can be destroyed from within by an insurgent war, and they have their man. He’s the Ukrainian intelligence director, but officially he gets called General Kyrylo Budanov. He’s the guy who’d like to boast about his “achievements”, like the Ivanorets in the Black Sea, or the Ilyushin over Belgorod, or the Crimean bridge, but his preference is lying. (Wiki entries, Budanova’s poisoning).
I think he’s being mentored by M16, BND.
The biggest contention for the Kiev regime, apart from losing the military war, is the decision to mass mobilise. Everyone in the Slava Ukraini crowd understands the necessity, if only to “hold the line”. And that means women and children, who can be trained as drone operators. But hey, Zelensky doesn’t want to be the one to announce this extremely unpopular mandate. He thinks Zaluzhny should, and viceversa. It’s a stalemate, mate.
Anyhow……as Mr Mercouris would say. Nice to hear from Larisa Shesler again!
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Good points. That pincer is pinching everyone right where it hurts!
First the pinching pincer, then the boiling cauldron. All that was missing was the 3 witches, but then you had Nuland (one witch) at least!
As for our friend, Budie, there are friendly debates whether he works for the CIA directly, or for MI-6. Or maybe both at the same time!
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I was wondering when you’d add your take to the sad saga of General Potatohead. Simplicius, Bebo and others have been all over it on Twaater and various sites, but I knew you’d need to chime in too. I’d be inclined to sympathise with our boy, especially since he’s taken to having a fuzzy jaw-beard! Makes his spud-like visage look even softer. Unfortunately, his Banderanazism is too overt to overlook. You probably saw the recent photo where he was posing with some Ukronazi in an office and there was a red-and-black flag on a wall in the background with some smaller markings in white, including one Punisher-style skull. (Red/black/white being the colour scheme of the O.G. Nazis, of course) There was another image, more threatening, where he was holding up some kind of Bandera fan club membership card and there was a framed portrait of the balding bastard in the background. Keen-eyed observers have pointed out the Zluzh was rocking the metal bracelet with Nazi symbols that he’s been seen with in other shots, so that wasn’t a Photoshop or a one-off. This stuff coming out now must be intentional leakage by _elensky, rat-face Budanov or the CIA to discredit everybody’s favourite sendmentopointlessdeaths leader.
If Gen. Potato gets shoved aside, will he be murdered? Or will he then be free to murder his opponents? If the latter, who will he kill first — _elensky, Budanov, the guy who’s reportedly the power behind _elensky (whose named I can’t be arsed to Oogle) or somebody else? Is it possible they can all kill each other? Ouroboros! In any case, if you were going to describe the crashing flight path of a dying regime, it would include BS like this Game of Thrones.
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Zaluzhni is definitely a Nazi but he does not have a Nazi bracelet (second mini-pic from the left). It’s something that Rurik could have worn, so he doesn’t even engage in the evil sin of cultural appropriation.
Btw, it’s sad that the Nazis hijacked the Nordic gods. Compared to the violent and depraved Greek/Roman mythology it’s a very kind and morally sound religion.
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Thanks for the clarification about Gen. Potatohead’s bling, Duke. I will not make that mistake again. My anti-Jew(elery) prejudice was based on what I thought I remembered from some Internet “forensic photo analysts” saying after they magnified the thing that was twisted around Zaluzhny’s wrist.
Memory can be faulty, though. F’rinstance, I was wrong about the Nazi-coloured flag I thought Zaluz was standing in front of. It had a bunch of tiny conventional skull images on it, not a single “Punisher” skull as I incorrectly wrote. I noticed that when I re-saw the photo yesterday. The REAL punisher in that image was the thuggish Right Sektor goon (also with a potato-shaped head) who was standing next to Zal when he flashed his Nazi loyalty card. The message to _elensky being “this is who my friends are, so don’t mess with me, shrimpy.”
I can see why Ukronazis, like the original N-words, would want to adopt Norse runes as part of their symbolism. Styling oneself as a Viking is attractive to Ukroberserkers. And there’s a historical basis for that. One of the few useful things I learned from watching several videos by Tim Snyder (the svidomite Yale professor who put out a series of Utoob lectures on Ukro history) was about the Viking/Varangian underpinnings of the Kievan Rus. It seems more manly to say “our mob is descended from Norsemen on longboats, not Mongols on horseback.”
All cultures have myths they embrace, like Amerikans thinking they are the sons of stalwart pioneers who tamed an empty continent. (NOT grifting land-thieves who swarmed into a landmass that had been devastated by their germ-laden predecessors.) If we acknowledged the nasty truth about ourselves — not just USAnians, but ALL cultures — we’d want to kill ourselves in shame. Or reform. But that’s hard work. Better to fill our numb skulls with heroic fantasies.
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I mean, Za’s bracelet is sort of Nazi-like, so I am not sure you even need to apologize. I mean, everything needs to be taken in context. Me, for example, I LOVE Wagner’s music and Norse myths and all of that, and I even like paganism better than monotheism, and yet I am not a Nazi at all.
A Ukrainian nationalist who adores pagan myths and wears Norse/German symbology… probably a Nazi!
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Well, up until now, I had more important stories to cover. Like the one about the missing cat, for example.
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Summon up the auditors to defend Zhellie against Zallie!
Ximinez: Now, old woman — you are accused of heresy on three counts — heresy by thought, heresy by word, heresy by deed, and heresy by action — *four* counts. Do you confess?
Wilde: I don’t understand what I’m accused of.
Ximinez: Ha! Then we shall make you understand! Biggles! Fetch…THE CUSHIONS! (JARRING CHORD)
(Biggles holds out two ordinary modern household cushions)
Biggles: Here they are, lord.
Ximinez: Now, old lady — you have one last chance. Confess the heinous sin of heresy, reject the works of the ungodly — *two* last chances. And you shall be free — *three* last chances. You have three last chances, the nature of which I have divulged in my previous utterance.
Wilde: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Ximinez: Right! If that’s the way you want it — Cardinal! Poke her with the soft cushions!
(Biggles carries out this rather pathetic torture)
Ximinez: Confess! Confess! Confess!
Biggles: It doesn’t seem to be hurting her, lord.
Ximinez: Have you got all the stuffing up one end?
Biggles: Yes, lord.
Ximinez (angrily hurling away the cushions): Hm! She is made of harder stuff! Cardinal Fang! Fetch…THE COMFY CHAIR!
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“No no! Not the comfy chair! Anything but the comfy chair!”
Cardinal Fang: “We always break them in the end…”
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