(Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine)
Brothers and sisters! Here is the summary for March 25
The bad news:
1. It pains me to say that the Ukrainian resistance in Crimea has, in essence, dwindled into nothing. After failing at their first two deadlines – the 16th and the 21st – the occupiers succeeded at meeting the third one. As they had planned, March 25 became the critical day for our troops in Crimea.
But we haven’t fallen. Our troops are leaving the occupied area, but we are not denouncing Crimea. In a family, if a child is ill, they get quarantined to prevent the disease from spreading – but not disowned. With God’s and our help, our child by the name of Crimea will be nursed back to health yet, and return to us.
2. The Ukrainian Navy is destroyed. On the other hand, we can view it as a trial by fire – because the ones remaining now are true patriots, real Soldiers and Officers, loyal to their Oath to the end.
These guys will become the core of the newly-created Navy. I think that at this time, we should raise the issue of requesting the West’s assistance, in form of used naval equipment (we obviously can’t afford to buy new right now). For a token fee, our partners could help us rebuild our Navy.
Let’s hope that the heads of the MoD address this issue – especially since the West is asking what kind of military and technical assistance we need.
3. Today marks the start of the dangerous process I mentioned before – armed “self-defense” in Ukrainian regions are starting to play a new kind of game. MIA’s behavior also provokes concern.
I am talking about the murder of Sasha Beliy [Olexandr Muzychko], member of the Right Sector. The police say that Beliy was a member of an armed gang, and on a wanted list – and that he was lethally wounded during arrest, as a result of opening fire on the police. Local activists of the Right Sector claim that the police are lying, and already promised to get revenge of Arsen Avakov, head of Internal Affairs.
I’m sure that whether the police are right or wrong, a legal investigation is required. The same applies to whether or not Avakov should be trusted.
If we let ourselves be dragged into these games, then all of Maidan’s achievements will go to waste. We will plunge ourselves into a civil war and drown ourselves in blood – and no one in the world will trust us anymore. This is exactly what Russia needs to finish us off.
The good news:
1. The squadron of Dnipropetrovsk Airborne Brigade #25 left Crimea with their weapons intact. The occupiers were warned that the servicemen would fight to the last man – so they decided not to play “Ukrainian roulette” (just like Russian roulette, except played against a Ukrainian trooper).
2. The Kyiv Administration Court suspended the work of four Russian TV channels in Ukraine. This includes the Russian Channel 1 [Pervy Kanal], RTR, NTV, and Russia 24. These lying mouthpieces of Russian propaganda should’ve been shut down in the first days of the invasion. If they are ever again allowed to spew poison and sling mud all over Ukraine – while broadcasting in Ukrainian media space – that will be beyond my understanding. Or yours, I’ll trust.
By the way, a few days ago, NTV journalists approached me, asking for an interview. At first, I actually thought I heard the name of the channel wrong. I said no, of course – I’m not a counter-propaganda specialist and won’t go toe-to-toe with the “Goebbels-s” from the Kremlin. I still consider myself a soldier, and soldiers don’t hold debates with the enemy.
3. Today, Freedom Day in Belarus (anniversary of the People’s Republic of Belarus) was celebrated under banners that said “Glory to Ukraine! Shame on Putin!,” ”Russia Means War,” “Death to Kremlin Occupiers,” and “For Our and Your Freedom.” Up to five thousand people took part in the rally in Minsk.
For a democratic country, five thousand people is a drastically small number. But for an authoritarian state, that is huge. Thank you, Belarussian brothers! Your support means a lot to us. If you can fight for your freedom under Lukashenko’s regime, then we MUST fight for ours in the country of the victorious Maidan.
