Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-04-24/Eyewitness Wikimedian, Vinnytsia, Ukraine


 * On his talk page on Commons, George Chernilevsky reports on the invasion of Ukraine from the city of Vinnytsia. Last month we published part 1 of his War diary here. With George's permission, here is part 2.
 * There is always a "fog of war" and The Signpost is not in a position to verify all the facts as presented here. Any opinions stated here are George's, and we do not necessarily agree or disagree with them.
 * We offer our condolences to George and his family for the loss of his youngest son.
 * – S

03.28.2022
Today i got in touch with a friend of mine who had been missing for several days. Near Kyiv, the settlement of Rudnitskoye was liberated. She was there. Here are her personal impressions, quote:

''Since we still have problems with light and communication, i can only tell you now. The orcs were hitting our positions with artillery for a long time. Ours also smoked them for a long time with mortars, artillery and hailstones [BM-21 "Grad" multiple rocket launcher – editors] outside the village. We have already learned to distinguish these terrible sounds. This morning we woke up from explosions and from the fact that tanks were coming in from all sides. It was scary when I saw tank in my garden 30 meters away, but then I noticed that the blue ribbons on the guys (they came in cheerfully, shouted something, sang) combed every yard and asked if there were orcs. Our fellow villagers warmly welcomed them. Then there were fights in the old part of the village, because the orcs remained there. Orcs fired back from machine guns, but our troops quickly bombarded them with mines. The whole day our guys combed every centimeter of the village (empty yards, farm, forest belts, etc.). The village is heavily mined, so they said that they had several days ahead of work to clear it.''

Unfortunately, there is no school or church in the village anymore.

''People in the old part of the village suffered greatly. From the constant shelling, the wave knocked out the windows and tore off the slate from the roofs. We also have a couple of holes from fragments on the roof, such large pieces flew in. One stray bullet shattered a window and lodged in the ceiling.''

''Personally, today i talked with the guys from the Georgian Legion who came to fight for Ukraine. There were also Belarusians there who are fighting for Ukraine under their white-red-white flag.''

After the cleansing of Lukyanovka 4 days ago, all the orcs moved here, but this did not save the enemies.

-- GC

03.31.2022


There is little news in Vinnytsia today. Only the evening is very rich in air raid sirens. Bombs fall on Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnepr, Odessa just now.

I have prepared a short review about the church's fifth column in Ukraine. Initially, the theme of the church was greatly inflated in the Russian media.

The most popular religion in Ukraine is Orthodoxy. After the collapse of the USSR, new states were formed on the territory of the former country, but the Orthodox Church remained united with the center (Patriarchate) in Moscow. Orthodoxy in Ukraine, even after the start of the war, retained its subordination to the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). There is also the Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate (UOC-KP), but the unification of Orthodoxy within the framework of the state in Ukraine did not happen. In Soviet times, there was a shameful practice of recruiting or infiltrating KGB agents among priests. The same practice was continued by Russia on the territory of Ukraine. Agents in church attire were on standby until the war began.

With the outbreak of the war, the UOC-MP became more active as an anti-Ukrainian center of sabotage.

In the district center of Khmilnyk near Vinnytsia, the priest offered armed resistance to the police, but could not escape and was captured. During a search, they found a whole warehouse of weapons and ammunition. He had a center for the coordination of saboteurs at home.

The community in the village of Sosonka near Vinnytsia expelled the priests because they campaigned in favor of the enemy during sermons. Now the priests of the Kiev Patriarchate conduct services there. And there are many such cases. Arms depots have been found in very many UOC-MP churches throughout the country, even in western Ukraine. Now all over Ukraine there are checks of Moscow priests.

On April 30, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine registered a bill to ban the UOC-MP.

Very many church communities even earlier began to move from the Moscow Patriarchate to the Kyiv Patriarchate. Such a transition was made in 2019 by the main cathedral in Vinnytsia.

In general, there is a strong split in the UOC-MP in Ukraine now. 15 bishops stopped mentioning the Moscow Patriarch Kirill. Many are moving to the Kyiv Patriarchate.

Summing up, i see no future for the Russian Church in Ukraine.

More related links
 * Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
 * Patriarch Kirill of Moscow
 * Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate
 * Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine

Another large group of Russian agents is the party Opposition Platform — For Life (OPZZh). Now it has become clear that this party was originally conceived and financed by the Kremlin. The party has been banned since March 20 in Ukraine. Representatives of this party become Russian commandants in the occupied territory. And it was they who were offered the role of a puppet regime if Kyiv were captured. Some rank and file members got into this party through stupidity and left it themselves. Many small district and city cells of the OPZZh disbanded on their own. In Vinnytsia, the well-known sportsman, boxer Vyacheslav Uzelkov, was in the OPZZh (i hope it was just a stupid mistake). And at the highest level - Boyko, Medvedchuk, Rabinovich.

-- GC

04.03.2022
Today Vinnytsia was awakened by the sound of sirens at 4:00 am. However, the main news today comes from the liberated territories. During the first days of April, the ZSU liberated more than 30 settlements. Investigations of the crimes of the Russian army against the civilian population are now beginning. This is a real shock. Thousands of civilians were tortured and killed. Corpses with their hands tied have been found in mass graves, in sewer shafts and just on the streets. About 300 shot inhabitants were found in only one burial in Bucha. There is evidence of the killing of children and the rape of women and underage girls by Russian soldiers. Putin did not personally rape anyone in Ukraine, did not torture anyone, did not personally shoot in the back of the head. He did not personally bomb Ukrainian cities, did not fire rockets. He probably did not even give direct orders: wipe out such a city or village from the surface of the globe along with all the inhabitants, kill so many children, rape, rob, steal, loot. All this was done by ordinary Russian soldiers, ordinary Russian people. If you have the courage, check out the photos at the links below.

https://carabaas.dreamwidth.org/4615109.html

https://meduza.io/feature/2022/04/03/tridtsat-vosmoy-den-voyny-fotografii

--GC

04.04.2022 - 40th day of the war
More and more details of atrocities, torture and murders in the occupied territories appear in the press.

In Irpin, on Lermontov Street, the bodies of women and girls were deliberately driven over with tanks to hide the details of their torture and murders. Now were found new group graves where they tried to burn the bodies.

After the liberation of other territories, we will learn many new terrible details of the crimes of the Russian army.

I heard a comment from a Ukrainian veteran who personally saw results of similar crimes by Russian troops in two Chechen wars: "The Russian army always does this in occupied territories."

-- GC


 * (In response to a reader's question)
 * I don't think the use of mobile crematoria is fake. Russia used mobile crematoria during the war in Donbas since 2014. At that time, Dmitry Medvedev officially recognized the existence of six mobile crematoria in the Russian army. Two such crematoria were seen in the city of Rostov-on-Don, it was the logistical center of the war in the Donbass. Around 2014, there was a video of the burning of a human body in such a crematorium (now it has already been deleted on YouTube). Site of the manufacturer of crematoria is turmalin.su According to insiders, stationary crematoria in Belarus and Crimea operate non-stop with killed Russian soliders.


 * --GC

04.07.2022 - 43th day of the war
I answer the question Jebulon: ''What important is : how are you ? How do you feel the new strategic situation ? What about the future, soon and late ? What do you think ?''

I'm OK.

How do i see the future? Today is a good day, and i see reasons for restrained optimism. The Lend-Lease Act is a month late, but it's still great news. Today, Ukraine needs seven times more military assistance than it receives. I understand that after the signing of the law on Ukraine Lend-Lease Act, a considerable period of time (probably a month) must pass, after which Ukraine will actually receive the required weapons. This is the time for management and delivery. But now the outcome of the war is already a foregone conclusion.

Take a look at Russia's losses.

Total losses of the Russian army 02.24.2022 - 04.07.2022:
 * Aircrafts 150
 * Helicopters 135
 * UAV operational-tactical reconnaissance 111
 * Ships and boats of the Navy 7
 * AFVs 1891
 * Tanks 698
 * Trucks 1358
 * Railway tanks with fuel 76
 * Guns 332
 * Multiple launch rocket systems 108
 * Air defense vehicles 55
 * Special engineering vehicles (pontoons etc.) 25
 * Launchers of operational-tactical missile complexes (Iskander, etc.) 4
 * Over 18,900 military killed
 * About 1000 prisoners.

Now think about this: there is no war with one-sided losses. The Ukrainian army also suffers heavy losses. Our proud Sparta bleeds too. I personally know several families who have already lost their men at the front. Today, the online lessons at my granddaughter's school began with the whole class expressing sympathy for her classmate. Their family received the official message "Killed in action."

The mobilization of men in Ukraine takes place in several stages. A few days ago, the fourth stage began. Previously, the military commissariat refused to appoint me to the army because of my age, but now my eldest son and I meet the criteria for this stage of mobilization. The fourth stage is the last one. After him, only the elderly, women and children will remain in the rear.

At the same time, Putin, having already lost 20,000 killed and captured, is ready to throw cannon fodder all over Ukraine. He is ready to kill another 100,000 of russian soldiers, but hold his favorite parade on May 9th. Therefore, there will still be very difficult battles ahead.

Personally about myself: I am not afraid to be at the front. Yes, it is very dangerous, but i have good preparation. From the age of 11, my "toys" were hand grenades, TNT and detonators. And i was regularly trained in shooting from infantry weapons, i thank my father for this, an honest officer and a very good person. In addition, i served two years as a soldier in the Soviet army. The Ukrainian army is very close-knit, there i will not be alone, but in a circle of friends. And most importantly, Ukraine has no right to lose, otherwise the entire Ukrainian people and the entire country will repeat the fate of Bucha.

The future is still unsettling, but i believe that everything will be fine

--GC


 * As for mobile crematoria: they are really hard to find. Outwardly, it is an ordinary truck with a van, painted in the green color of the Russian army. Its purpose can only be known if the contents of the van are examined from a close distance (less than 100 m).


 * --GC

04.08.2022 - 44th day of the war
Russia dealt a senseless and brutal blow to civilians who were waiting for an evacuation train at the Kramatorsk train station. The strike was carried out by a Tochka-U missile with a cluster warhead.

The death toll has risen to 52. Perhaps the number of victims will still increase. 38 died on the spot, 14 more died a few hours later in hospitals. Among those killed were 5 children. Of the 98 wounded who were taken to medical facilities, 16 were children, 46 women and 36 men.

The tail section of a rocket was found near the station. On it, in handwritten paint, was written "for the children."

meduza.io published shocking photos from Kramatorsk.

https://meduza.io/feature/2022/04/08/po-vokzalu-kramatorska-udarili-raketoy-s-nadpisyu-za-detey-pogibli-39-chelovek-v-tom-chisle-chetyre-rebenka

--GC

04.13.2022 - 49th day of the war
Wow! Today, two Ukrainian Neptune missiles hit the Russian cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. There is a big fire on the cruiser, and a storm at sea. After the shelling of Vinnytsia with Kalibr naval missiles, i feel hatred for this warship as a personal enemy.

A Ukrainian regiment of marines was able to break through to Mariupol to help the defenders of the city.

According to recent data, 13 mobile crematoriums operate on the outskirts of Mariupol, they burn the bodies of civilians, they hide the crimes of the Russian military. In addition, the bodies are collected and taken to stationary crematoria.

--GC

04.21.2022
Yesterday I received terrible news. My youngest son was killed during the bombing of Kyiv. He stopped communicating, and I searched for him for many days and I hoped for a miracle. But yesterday I got a notice from the police that he was dead. The police are very busy with such requests. I will be able to get detailed information only on Monday, for this I will go to Kyiv for two days. I couldn't sleep last night, I just listened to the rain outside my window.

My youngest son was only 25 years old. Now I will have to replace the father for his daughter, my granddaughter, so that she grows up a good person and can be happy.

--GC