Mora García

[moragarsia]

The refusal of the Russian military to fight against Ukraine

The war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine has been going on for the second year. Every year of war and emigration certainly increases the percentage of those who will never return to Russia. The wary and even negativeattitude towards the citizens of Russia and President Putin in the world is breaking records. The war has unexpectedly and clearly forced the community of people living in Russia to divide into groups – one of which supports the insane mass murder of Ukrainians, the other opposes the war in Ukraine.

Russian soldiers have increasingly begun to refuse to fight against Ukraine. This is indicative of the lack of training, anticipation and stressful situations faced by Russian soldiers along the entire Ukrainian front line. Desertion, rebellion and dissatisfaction with their command have already become commonplace for the Russian army. The occupiers complain of poor treatment, lack of normal conditions on the front, problems with food and water. Russian military courts have received more than 2,900 cases against contract soldiers and mobilized soldiers under articles that have been toughened since the beginning of mobilization: unauthorized abandonment of the unit, failure to comply with orders, desertion and other crimes. The number of such cases is growing every month, which may indicate the reluctance of the military and mobilized to take part in hostilities in Ukraine. In addition to the increase in cases, there has also been an increase in the number of requests from servicemen for legal assistance and advice on "how to resign" and "how to surrender".

Since the beginning of the war, Russia has adopted several laws and presidential decrees that allow the criminal prosecution of citizens who have refused or intend to refuse military service, deserted from the front, or surrendered to Ukrainians. Russian servicemen are aware that they are participating in an unjust war and carrying out criminal orders. And if this is an order that contradicts international treaties, the Geneva Conventions, related to the shelling of civilian objects, the killing of prisoners, then the serviceman should have the right to refuse to comply with it. There is an article in the Criminal Code that states that if the order was unlawful, then refusal to comply will not be a crime.

Refusing to participate in the war with Ukraine is not treason or cowardice, but an act that will be positively assessed by compatriots after the collapse of the totalitarian regime in Russia. The Russian military continues to clearly confirm that they do not want to die in the war unleashed by the aggressor country and carry out the criminal orders of the dictator Ladimir Putin. So, during his vacation in the UAE, Senior Lieutenant Gavrichenko with the call sign "Le Havre" surrendered to the US Embassy . The Russian pilot decided to radically change his life and, instead of returning to the Russian Federation, went to the American embassy in the UAE, where he said that he refused to fight in Ukraine and was ready to testify.

Gavrichenko is called a follower of the pilot of the 319th Separate Helicopter Regiment (military unit 13984), Captain Maxim Kuzminov, who hijacked a Mi-8AMTSh helicopter during the operation of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense "Sinitsa" and received a reward of 500 thousand US dollars, asylum and new documents for himself and his family.

A similar decision to leave the Russian Federation in order not to become an occupier and murderer was also made by the pilot of the 15th Army Aviation Brigade (military unit 44440), Lieutenant Dmitry Mishov: he fled to Lithuania. Thanks to another operation of the Main Intelligence Directorate - "Barynya", 12 Russians surrendered to Ukrainian captivity. Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, spoke about the recruited officer Daniil Alferov, who not only surrendered, but also wanted to stay in Ukraine and defend the Ukrainian state from Russian aggression. It was also Alferov who persuaded another11 Russians to surrender.

Each person can choose for himself whether to continue serving evil or to go over to the side of good. The argument "I only followed orders" is not an excuse for war crimes. Examples of refusal to fight in Ukraine show that there is an opportunity to make the right choice. You just have to use it. The decision is made by the person himself. The question is the willingness and willingness to say "no" to the regime.

Ukraine and the West are ready and able to protect Russian servicemen from the revenge of the dictatorial regime, provide material assistance and decent living conditions. A group of MEPs appealed to the European Commission and EU countries to resolve the issue of granting asylum to Russians who do not want to fight against Ukraine. Given that the Russian armed forces are violating human rights and international humanitarian law in Ukraine, Russian citizens have a moral justification for refusing to participate in the war.

To be in Russia today against the war, to speak out against evil in public, without concealment, is not only a rare courage, but also a salvation. Salvation of one's own human dignitya. Salvation of the honour of one's peoples, with the shepherding of the honour of the state!

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Ukraine became a member of the IAEA Board of Governors

Public attitudes towards nuclear energy are changing amid concerns about climate change and energy security, as well as energy justice and sustainable development. Last week, from 25 to 29 September, the 67th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was held in Vienna. As a result of voting at the meeting of the IAEA General Conference, Ukraine became a member of the IAEA Board of Governors for 2023-2025.

The participants of the General Conference also approved a resolution calling on the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw all military and other unauthorized personnel from the Zaporizhzhia NPP and return the plant to the full control of the competent authorities of Ukraine in accordance with the existing license issued by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine. Today, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been turned into a military base of the Russian Federation, and this is completely unacceptable from the point of view of nuclear and radiation safety issues on a global scale.

Russia's war against Ukraine and the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by Russian troops have called into question the possibility of ensuring nuclear and radiation safety, as well as the development of the nuclear sector as a whole. After all, any incident at a nuclear power plant will neutralize all the civilizational developments of the peaceful atom.

Russia's radiation and nuclear threat is a global problem. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been constantly blackmailing the world with the use of nuclear weapons. Ukrainian nuclear power plants have also become objects of blackmail. The Russian army has repeatedly shelled the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the temporarily occupied territoryand endangered the entire European continent.

Therefore, the need to ensure nuclear and radiation safety has become the first item in the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, which any country can join. Ukraine is initiating the development of a Concept based on Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula, which will ensure real mechanisms for states to comply with nuclear and radiation safety rules, and will also contribute to the further development of the nuclear industry.

The election to the IAEA Board of Governors, the adoption of a resolution on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, emphasizes the international role of Ukraine and provides real opportunities to influence decision-making, which are binding on all members of this organization. Ukraine will do everything to implement the first point of the Peace Formula - nuclear and radiation safety. And guarantee the complete liberation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from the Russian occupiers and the protection of Ukraine and all of Europe from Russian radiation blackmail.

Security is a vital necessity for all States, regardless of their position. Therefore, everyone is interested in the implementation of the first point of the formula. The international community must act as a united front to defeat the aggressor. The decision of the IAEA General Conference demonstrated the consolidation of peace around Ukraine, and this gives hope that the process of de-occupation of the ZNPP will accelerate.

Ukraine remains a reliable international partner in the field of nuclear energy, and will make every effort to assist the IAEA in strengthening global nuclear security in order to put an end to all types of nuclear blackmail that Russia is trying to normalize.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine poses a serious threat to the whole world, Russia should not havethe right to possess nuclear weapons. Russia is weaponizing nuclear power. Not only does it spread its unreliable nuclear power plant technology, but it also turns other countries' power plants into dirty bombs. Russia must stop its "dangerous and irresponsible" nuclear rhetoric and undermine nuclear non-proliferation agreements.

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Strike on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation

Ukraine has stepped up strikes on the temporarily occupied Crimea, where drone and missile strikes seem to be becoming commonplace. Thus, for the period from August 23 to September 14, according to the statements of the Ukrainian side, the Defense Forces of Ukraine destroyed two Russian S-400 Triumph air defense systems on the occupied peninsula: August 23 - near the village of Olenevka at Cape Tarkhankut, On September 14, such an installation was hit in the Yevpatoria region. On September 20, a missile attack was launched on a closed command post in the village of Verkhnesadove near Sevastopol, which was intended to control the Black Sea Fleet in the event of a third world war. Moreover, this was the first case of the use of the Storm Shadow missile in this war precisely for what this missile was originally created for - the destruction of underground structures. The warhead of the rocket consists of two parts. The first destroys the concrete protection, and the second penetrates into the structure and explodes. At one time, Storm Shadow missiles hit the bunkers of Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein. On the night of September 21, a large-scale fire strike was carried out on the Saki military airfield, where at least 12 combat aircraft (Su-24 and Su-30), as well as Pantsir MANPADS, were deployed. There was also a training base for Mojaher UAV operators.

And on September 22, the Defense Forces of Ukraine attacked the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. At the same time, it was stated that the blow to the headquarters was inflicted at a time when a meeting of the fleet leadership was held in the building. In fact, the headquarters of the fleet is a very important structure that connects aviation, ground forces, warships, and a repair base. Its tasks are: gathering information, planning military operations, coordinating activities.

The attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet will disrupt this system of command and control and coordination between different types of Russian troops involved in hostilities against Ukraine. This system will be incapacitated for some time, it will take time to restore all its elements, including personnel that have been disabled.

It should be noted that Ukraine strictly adheres to international humanitarian law in the conduct of hostilities. High-precision strikes hit exclusively military facilities of the Russian Federation, logistics, warehouses, destroying enemy military potential. The systematic destruction of Russian military facilities in Crimea is an operation for the phased collapse of the defense of the peninsula.

And what is also curious, the reaction on social networks of local residents indicates that in Sevastopol they also rejoice at the successes of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, hoping for an early de-occupation.

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Overcoming the grain crisis between Ukraine and Poland

Ukraine and Poland are strategic allies. It is vital, but it is important for Ukraine to maintain partnership relations with a country that is strategically important for it in all dimensions, including in matters of European and Euro-Atlantic integration. The normalization of Polish-Ukrainian relations is in the interests of Poland itself, which is why the Poles have actively supported and continue to support Ukraine from the first years of its independence.

It should be noted that the root cause of the current public confrontation between friendly countries was the conflict of interest in the grain market. This applies to Ukraine's relations not only with Poland, but also with some other Eastern European countries with which Ukraine competes in the agricultural sector. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and the naval blockade of its ports by Russia, the European Union has lifted restrictions on the export of Ukrainian agricultural products to EU countries. It was a gesture of political solidarity and economic support for Ukraine, which became a victim of Russian aggression and found itself in a very difficult economic situation. However, then it turned out that relatively cheap Ukrainian grain (compared to producer prices in the EU countries) created serious competition for local farmers and significantly reduces prices on the grain market of the EU countries. It was this fact that caused a violent protest reaction from the farming community of a number of Eastern European countries, and then the introduction of restrictive measures on the export of Ukrainian grain to some EU countries, including Poland.

On September 21, the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solsky held a telephone conversation with his Polish counterpart Robert Telus, during which the parties agreed to find a joint solution to the controversial situation on grain exports. The press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine reported that the parties confirmed the close and constructive relations that they have repeatedly demonstrated, and agreed to develop in the near future a variant of cooperation on export issues. The next round of negotiations will take place in the near future. Representatives of Ukraine and Poland will discuss a list of comments and questions related to the plan proposed by Ukraine.

It is quite obvious that the fact of public political confrontation works against the strategic interests of Poland and Ukraine, which Moscow is incredibly happy about. It is necessary, as soon as possible, to remove the current tension and normalize the situation in relations between countries. The parties should immediately stop the public showdown at the official level. The Ukrainian side has already expressed its principled and critical position on the essence of the problem itself, which caused the current confrontation. That's enough for now. It is necessary to put an end to this emotional discussion and in the future to solve emerging problems by searching for mutually acceptable solutions, and not through mutual public accusations.

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On the "noble" truth in the war and the "serious" press

In world political life, events of all kinds and scales occur daily. Also, appropriate political decisions are made on a daily basis to resolve the political issues that have arisen in order to achieve stability. Atdifferent levels, from "local" to global. To date, one and perhaps the main event that has determined many issues of world politics for more than a year and a half is the war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine.

It is difficult to consider the "noble" goals of the Kremlin leadership, which unleashed this full-scale bloody war in the very center of Europe by attacking a neighboring sovereign state, which to this day they call a "special military operation" (SVO). It is impossible to compare the goals of this war and the methods of achieving them with the process and result, designed to bring peace and stability, at least in the European region. Everything turned out exactly the opposite. Not only have the foundations of European stability been violated, but world stability is thoroughly affected by this European war, which threatens to go beyond it. I really don't want to draw historical parallels, but Europe has repeatedly become a spark for a world conflagration. And God forbid everyone from the following!

The conclusion is simple: Russia, its top leadership is an aggressor, criminals who have encroached on peace, stability and the most valuable thing - human lives! Only on the Russian side, the number of losses is approaching 300 thousand! The total number of armies of several European states! At the same time, the latest statements by the top leadership of Russia indicate that they see no reason to end the war ...

Ukraine, on the other hand, is simply obliged to exercise its legitimate right to defend territorial integrity, independence and, ultimately, statehood. It is obvious that Russia, acting as an aggressor and continuing to wage war, must reap its consequences in the broad aspect of this concept. In particular, the consequences of the economic sanctions imposed by the collective West against Russia are slowly but surely destroying its economy and undermining its status in the international arena, gradually turning it into a rogue state.

War and humanism, of course, are incompatible concepts, but still the norms of international rights of the world community, civilian objects are taken outside the brackets of war, and cannot be military. The political and military leadership of Russia, violating all international humanitarian norms, regularly give orders to shell Ukrainian cities. During the year and a half of the war, a fewdays passed in Ukraine without the roar of sirens warning of the threat of shelling. Here, the Russians have "succeeded" very much, almost daily inflicting massive missile and artillery strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, or even simply on residential development, while stubbornly stating that strikes are carried out exclusively on military targets.

And there is no argument to deny that Russian aggression is thecause of all civilian war casualties in Ukraine. It is Russia that is waging a deliberate terrorist campaign against the civilian population of Ukraine, thus seeking to break the will of Ukrainians to resist. The whole world now knows the facts of Russian missile terror in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odessa, Nikolaev, Kyiv, Uman, Kremenchuk, Lviv, Cherkasy, Zaporozhye, Kherson, Kostiantynivka, which led to mass civilian casualties. Obviously, this list is far from complete. But to put it very cynically, the Russians are "working hard" to "expand" it.

And here the statements of the New York Times publishers, based on their own research, admitting that the victims in Kostiantynivka on September 6 may have been caused not by a Russian, but by a Ukrainian missile, seem extremely inappropriate ... as a result of a "tragic accident". Does anyone still have doubts that Russia is the aggressor that was the first to carry out its attack, and the way it wages war in its cruelty, bringing it closerto the events of World War II, is nothing more than terrorism on a national scale. Ukraine is defending itself! By all means available to it!

For each fact of Russian terrorist attacks, the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine conduct their own investigation. As well as after the tragedy in Kostiantynivka. A considerable amount of materials on Russia's terrorist activities on the territory of Ukraine has already accumulated for submission to the international court in The Hague. Taking into account the public outcry around the statement of the New York Times, the results of the official investigation into the September 6 attack will be published additionally.

And yet, I really want to understand what considerations or interests drove the staff of the New York Times to conduct their "own investigation", and moreover, why the choice of time for publication coincided precisely with the time of the work of the Ukrainian delegation to the United States at the UN General Assembly ...The press, the serious press has always been, is and will remain a kind of mouthpiece for political battles, an objective herald of political forecasts and decisions. It is not good for a leading US publication to act as a kind of "measure of truth" in the bloody war in Ukraine unleashed by the Putin regime, which certainly raises bad suspicions about the intentions of the publication and its employees ...

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Peace Day is a special holiday for Ukraine

On September 21, the International Day of Peace, established by the UN General Assembly, is celebrated every year. This is a day dedicated to promoting peace and reducing conflicts around the world. The main symbol of the holiday is a dove, the image of which is often used during events and actions dedicated to this day. According to the UN, government political agreements are not enough to end military conflicts in the world - sustainable peace must be based on the moral and intellectual solidarity of mankind. It is this idea that underlies the International Day of Peace.

In 2002, the Assembly declared that the Day of Peace would be celebrated as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, inviting all States and peoples to observe the cessation of hostilities during that day. In Ukraine, the holiday was enshrined at the legislative level and was called the "Day of Peace in Ukraine".

Ukraine is a peace-loving country that, since the proclamation of independence, has not attacked anyone, has not put forward territorial claims and has been actively involved in international peacekeeping efforts in the world. Peace in Ukraine was destroyed by Russian aggression that began in 2014. It was an unprovoked, undeserved and undeclared attack by Russia, which gave Ukraine security guarantees in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons. The Russian Federation has violated not only the Budapest Memorandum, it has violated all conceivable and inconceivable norms and rules of the international community, the UN Charter, the principles and norms of international law. History shows that it was Russia that most deserved nuclear disarmament back in the 1990s. And Russia deserves it now - terrorists do not have the right to possess nuclear weapons. Evenwithout the use of nuclear weapons, the terrorist state turns everything it has access to into a weapon: food, energy and even Ukrainian children from the occupied territories.

Ukraine, where people die every day from the war, is most interested in peace. It is fighting at great cost against Russian aggression so that their descendants will never know war. In order to live under a peaceful sky, the Ukrainian military liberates its temporarily occupied territories and protects the population for the sake of future peace on their land. Russia is the only country that obstructs peace in Ukraine.

Ukraine has always been a leader in peacekeeping efforts, and the world has seen it. It appreciates peacekeeping initiatives, butemphasizes that peace with Moscow is impossible at the cost of territorial or other concessions to the aggressor.

Kyiv invites all countries of the world to join President Zelensky's "Peace Formula", which is an important platform not only for a just end to the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, but it can become a universal basis for ending other military conflicts on the planet and overcoming global problems.

Peace is a global value. Something that is important for every person on Earth. While Russia is pushing the world to war, Ukraine is doing everything to ensure that after Russian aggression, no one in the world dares to attack any country. A world without freedom is called oppression. A world without justice is called dictatorship. Soon peace will return to Ukraine, it will becomean everyday reality and the norm of life.

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Grain crisis with Poland

On September 19, Polish President Andrzej Duda, at a briefing for Polish media in front of the UN headquarters in New York, commenting on the conflict over the export of Ukrainian grain, compared Ukraine to a drowned man who grabs onto everything and can pull others down with him. He added that, despite his plans, he did not meet with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky due to delays in the schedule of speeches at the UN General Assembly.

It should be recalled that the European Commission decided not to extend the ban on the import of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia after September 15. It was introduced on May 2 instead of the corresponding unilateral restrictive measures in these countries, which the European Commission at one time criticized as unacceptable. The need for these restrictions was explained by the five EU countries by the fact that an overabundance of Ukrainian grain on the market reduces prices for local agricultural products, which negatively affects the incomes of local farmers.

Almost immediately after the European Commission's decision, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia announced their own unilateral bans on Ukrainian grain imports, ignoring the European Commission, violating EU single market rules and drawing the ire of the governments of other EU member states.

In response to these actions, Kiev decided to file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO). German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir complained at a meeting of EU agriculture ministers that Warsaw, Budapest and Bratislava demonstrate "incomplete solidarity" with Ukraine. "When it is beneficial for you, you are in solidarity, and when it is not profitable, you are not," the German diplomat said.

How long will the EU (and Ukraine's other allies) be able to continue to support Kyiv in the face of political pressure to stimulate its own economies? This issue will become more acute over time, as Ukraine, a country with a large agricultural sector, aspires to become a full member of the EU.

President Duda, with his statement, makes it clear that Ukraine must yield to its "savior" Poland. Comparing Ukraine to a drowned man is inappropriate, primarily because Ukraine's defense of its economic interests does not pose a mortal threat to Poland. Ukrainians are heroically fighting against the existential threat from Russia, and thanks to their own resilience, as well as the full support of partners, Ukraine is confident of its future victory.

As for disagreements over the export of agricultural products, Ukraine acts strictly within the framework of the rules and agreements with the EU. Kiev will agree with any decision of the WTO, even if it is contrary to its interests.

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Visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to the United States

The 78th session of the UN General Assembly opened in New York in a situation of growing crises in the world such as global warming, military conflicts, increasing socio-economic inequality, new technological challenges. The session will bring together the heads of more than 150 heads of state of the world, including US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The trip of the President of Ukraine to the United States and his speech at meetings of the Security Council and the UN promise to become one of the main events of the week. Another topic of debate will be holding Russia legally accountable for aggression against Ukraine and war crimes.

These days, Ukraine is an important item on the agenda of discussions at the UN. The President of Ukraine will personally address the UN General Assembly, will attend a meeting of the Security Council, and is also going to meet with the leaders of the chambers and parties of the Congress, the military leadership. In the United States, talks with President Joe Biden are planned. Ukraine will convey its position on the prospects for a military campaign and the need for Western weapons to win. On Wednesday, there will be an open debate on Ukraine in the Security Council. They will be attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Zelensky.

Kiev intends to use the rostrum of the General Assembly, as well as personal meetings with the leaders of other countries, to increase support for Ukraine. Ukraine definitely has something to say about the topic of discussion of this General Assembly: "Restoring trust and global solidarity". The territorial integrity of the state is a key principle of all basic international documents, in particular the UN Charter. It is necessary to return to him the full force destroyed by the Russian invasion, and to increase the ability of the UN to stop and prevent aggressions.

With its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia, a nuclear power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has trampled on the UN Charter.

Despite repeated calls by the UN General Assembly to uphold its responsibilities, Russia is preventing the Security Council from fulfilling its role not only in Ukraine but elsewhere, thereby jeopardizing the credibility of the entire UN system. Vladimir Putin is becoming more and more isolated from representative international negotiation platforms (refusal to travel to the UN General Assembly, the G20 summit, the BRICS summit). It is striking that Russia and Putin are becoming pariahs in the international community.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, before speaking at the UN General Assembly, called for Russia to be expelled from the Security Council. Since, despite the war of aggression against Ukraine, Russiacontinues to be in power.

Together with residentVolodymyr Zelensky, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska also arrived in New York. On the first day of the visit, she became one of the speakers at the International Day for Equal Pay 2023, which took place within the framework of the UN General Assembly in New York. She will have several speeches where she will talk about the lives of Ukrainian children and women and what they have to worry about because of the enemy attack, about the cultural heritage of Ukraine in the conditions of war.

Ukraine is trying to maintain and increase the support of the international community in the war against the invader. It is important to demonstrate that two-thirds of the world's countries condemn Russia's war against Ukraine, despite Putin's best attempts to prove otherwise. Assistance to Ukraine is a contribution to stability and the restoration of international law, the end of the war can be accelerated if there are enough weapons for Ukraine.

Humanity and international law are stronger than one terrorist state. Russia will have to end this war. The war she started. It's time to come together to find real, practical solutions.

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Russia manipulates the concept of genocide to justify its aggression

The International Court of Justice in The Haguehas resumed hearings on the lawsuit of Ukraine against the Russian Federation. Ukraine accuses Russia of deliberately destroying representatives of Ukrainian nationality and speculating on the topic of genocide. The lawsuit was filed by Kyiv with the International Court of Justice on February 27, 2022, three days after the start of the full-scale invasion of Russian troops.

Russia manipulates the concept of genocide to justify its aggression, it deliberately spread false allegations of alleged acts of genocide against the Russian-speaking population in the Donbas. The Russian Federation used this as a basis for the introduction of troops and a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

Ukraine points out that the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide does not allow invasion in order to prevent it. Russia, in turn, argues that this case is beyond the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, since the Genocide Convention does not regulate the use of force between states.

The block of sessions of the International Court of Justice is devoted to preliminary objections raised by the Russian Federation. The hearings will be held in two rounds: on September 18 and 25, the floor will be given to the Russian side, and Ukraine will speak on September 19 and 27. The dispute concerns the interpretation, application and implementation of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Russia's argumentation of the reasons for the aggression is completely false. AndPutin's empire, in front of the whole planet, has been waging a genocidal war on the territory of Ukraine for almost two years.Shotsof Bucha, Irpin, Izyum and other Ukrainian cities and villages made the world shudder. Russia is trying to destroy not only the civilian population of Ukraine, but also the Ukrainian language, culture and history of Ukraine. The Russian dictator is simply obsessed with a maniacal hatred of everything Ukrainian. The evil that Russia is doing in Ukraine is aimed at exterminating the nation of Ukrainians. Putin no longer even tries to hide the true goals of his war of aggression - the genocide of the Ukrainian people. The occupation of foreign territories, the extermination of hundreds of thousands of people, the abduction of children, millions of refugees, is this not genocide? The Russian state, openly rejoicing in the troubles and grief that it was able to inflict on Ukrainians, hiding behind false slogans about the "protection" of the Russian-speaking population, broadcasts the rhetoric of hatred to the whole world.

The war of aggression unleashed by the Russian regime against Ukraine has undermined international peace and security, respect for human rights and international law. Hearings on Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia under the genocide convention will be of great international importance. The International Court of Justice announced an unprecedented decision in the history of the court to allow 32 states as third parties in the proceedings on the claim of Ukraine against Russia. These countries are parties to the Convention and are interested in its provisions being interpreted and applied correctly from the point of view of international law.

It is necessary that the entire civilized world choose a commitment to universal values and international law, resolutely opposing the criminal war that the Kremlin continues to wage. Not so long ago, some politicians called for "saving Putin's face", butthe limit of patience seems to have been exhausted. Russia will have to answer for aggression, this is obvious. Those involved in crimes against humanity must be brought to justice through appropriate international mechanisms.

The International Court of Justice is the main judicial body of the United Nations, its decisions are final and binding.

This is necessary to protect not only Ukraine, but also other countries that Russia may suddenly consider part of its empire, hiding behind an ephemeral threat to the "Russian-speaking population". For the sake of common security, it is very important that the world reacts to Russian aggression. Genocide can only be stopped by the joint efforts of all progressive humanity.

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Biden's impeachment and support for Ukraine

The other day, Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy said that the House of Representatives of the US Congress would launch an investigation that could launch the impeachment process of President Biden. According to him, the investigation will focus on President Biden's accusations of corruption, abuse of power and obstruction of justice.

Biden's impeachment proceedings date back to 2021. Then the Republican congressmen presented documents accusing Biden of abusing power as vice president. Over the next two years, nothing was done to remove the American leader, except for loud statements in the press. And so, in April 2023, the initiator of the first submission, a member of the US House of Representatives and ardent Trumpist Marjorie Taylor Greene said she would submit new articles on impeachment. This time it was about non-compliance with migration laws and the protection of the border with Mexico. The topic of Biden's impeachment, according to experts, is a kind of manifestation of the political struggle in the United States. And the closer to the elections, they will return to it more and more often.

The likelihood that Biden will be removed from office ahead of schedule because of this is minimal. To begin with, you need to vote by a simple majority in the House of Representatives. In it, the Republicans have only a few votes of advantage, but there is fierce competition within the party against the background of the primaries, so surprises are possible even at this stage. Some conservative congressmen believe that the evidence is too weak. Other Republicans are frankly frightened by the return of the authoritarian populist Trump and the growing influence of ultra-Trumpists. But something else is important. The procedure and impeachmentis only the first step. Then there should be a trial in the Senate, during which it is necessary to gain a two-thirds majority of votes to implement the decision, but the president's party members have a majority in the upper house. In the entire history of the United States, 46 presidents have been elected in the country and only three of them have been prosecuted for impeachment - Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998 and, in fact, Trump, who was impeached twice, in 2019 and 2020. None of them were suspended from office because of this procedure.

In this regard, no fundamental changes in Washington's policy are expected. The idea of impeachment by the Republicans cannot somehow affect either US domestic politics or assistance for Ukraine. As for the calls of some representatives of the American political elite to reduce or stop aid, these calls are marginal. Republican Senator Mitt Romney responded to critics within his party who argued that America could not afford to continue funding the Ukrainian army: "We spend about $850 billion a year on defense. We use about five percent of this amount to help Ukraine. Oh my God, to defend freedom and destroy the Russian army - a country with 1500 nuclear warheads aimed at us. Being able to do this with five percent of our military budget seems to me to be an extremely smart investment, not something we can't afford".

Against the backdrop of the story associated with the first impeachment of US President Donald Trump in 2019, there was an attempt to draw Ukraine into the internal political processes in the United States. Representatives of the Democratic Party accused him of putting pressure on his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. President Zelensky, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and almost all representatives of the Ukrainian authorities have chosen a very balanced and thoughtful policy in this Question. The United States is the world's foremost democratic power. Ukraine does not interfere in domestic American politics and does not give recommendations to American democracy. At the same time, the Ukrainian side properly responds to all suspicions regarding allegations of corruption, especially when receiving international assistance, and thoroughly investigates them.

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To whom is the Kremlin going to entrust “power" in the occupied territories of Ukraine

In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the aggressor country held "elections" to local councils. There was tension with candidates in the occupied territories. For "security reasons", only the names of the parties were indicated on the ballots, and information about the candidates was not disclosed. Parties that e They were allowed to participate in the process - only 4-5. And all pro-government. Of course, it was not without United Russia, the Communists and the Liberal Democratic Party. Candidates from some parties are generally new people about whom nothing is known. For example, in the parties of the Liberal Democratic Party, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and A Just Russia, on average, a third of applicants are generally housewives, pensioners and the unemployed with an unclear source of income. Itis not excluded that for them it was such a way to earn extra money. And there are lists from parties where there are 50% of such candidates "from the street". In general, these are people who have nothing to do with politics and, apparently, are driven there for extras. The second dozen lists of deputies from parties consist mainly of little-known local businessmen, officials, in some places diluted with deputies from the regions of the Russian Federation.

Who portrays the "legitimate authority"? Who did you manage to reach out to the “people's councils" created by Russia? In the annexed territories of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, 71 percent of all candidates are local residents. United Russia's approach to the selection of "candidates" in the south and in the Donbass differed significantly. In the so-called ""DPR" and "LPR" it relies on the local political system controlled by the Kremlin for the past nine years. Theynominated mainly those who were already in the people's council of these "republics", that is, representatives of some pre-existing occupation missions. And this means that, most likely, following the results of the elections, the government there will not change much. In the territories of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions occupied by the Russian Federation, even after a year and a half of occupation, there is a shortage of local personnel - in the lists of United Russia" in the "regional dumas" are mostly well-known collaborators. Most of the "new United Russia" are local state employees: principals of schools, rural clubs, clerks of city administrations and small entrepreneurs.

In the first places in the lists of "United Russia" are the leaders of the Ukrainian regions occupied by the Russian Federation: Denis Pushilin, Leonid Pasechnik, Yevgeny Balitsky, Vladimir Saldo.

Number one in the LPR is the "elected leader of the Lugansk People's Republic" Leonid Pasechnik, a former employee of the SBU, in the recent past, the so-called "Minister of State Security of the LPR". While working for the SBU, Pasechnik controlled the movement of all goods across the Russian-Ukrainian border. Being the so-called. "Minister of the State Security of the LPR", he continued to profit by controlling the smuggling of coal and fuels and lubricants.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, a wealthy businessman, curator of the process of stealing Ukrainian grain through the ports of the occupied part of the region, Yevhen Balitsky, became a deputy. The "head" of the Melitopol administration, Galina Danilchenko, is nominated to the Zaporozhye Regional Duma - she is number two on the party list of United Russia after the "leader" Zaporozhye region of Yevhen Balitsky, at whose family business she worked for many years.

Also in the top ten is the self-proclaimed mayor of Berdyansk, Alexander Saulenko. In Ukraine, he was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property. Many other participants in these "elections" also received sentences for collaboration. From the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the legislative assembly was "strengthened" by Viktor Medvedchuk's Crimean ally Oleg Slyusarenko, who, with active complicity with the occupiers, has not received at least some position on the peninsula for eight years. Oleg Slyusarenko is known in Crimea as a participant and organizer of various, including radical, pro-Russian street actions. In 2017, the name of Oleg Slyusarenko sounded in the context of the cooperation of his organization "Our Great Victory" with "Montenegrin terrorists" - a group of persons suspected of preparing a coup d'état in Montenegro.

The eighth number in the list of deputies of the Kherson Regional Duma is the current deputy chairman of the regional government Vitaly Bulyuk. Ranshewas a Ukrainian patriot and back in April 2022 wrote on social networks that "Kherson is Ukraine", but a month later he became a member of the occupation authorities.

In addition to the Ukrainians who remained in the occupied territories, 340 Russians from 39 regions participated in the elections to the legislative assemblies of the four occupied territories. There were apparently enough people willing to run that the Kremlin had to send reinforcements from Russia, adding to the lists rank-and-file bureaucrats from the presidential administration, such as Oleg Nesterov, an employee of the Kremlin administration, who was sanctioned by the United States for coordination "referendum" in the Zaporozhye region and the creation of "filtration points".

In the occupied part of the Kherson region, the second number on the party list from the ruling party was an odious character - State Duma deputy Igor Kastyukevich, who organized the deportation of children from a Kherson boarding school in the fall of 2022. At least 14 children from Kherson ended up in the orphanage "Herringbone", which was called a "children's concentration camp" because of the cruel treatment of pupils.

Russian "troops" make up about a fifth of the list of "United Russia" in the Donetsk region. Among them are the well-known kickboxer Vladimir Mineev, who at the beginning of the year, allegedly volunteered for the Russian army, the current deputy of the City Council of Rostov-on-Don Pyotr Pyatibratov and the non-public Kremlin political strategist Artem Perekhrist.

In the Luhansk region, the party nominates the Don Cossacks: State Duma deputy Viktor Vodolatsky and "supreme ataman" Nikolai Dyakonov.

In these so-called elections in the occupied territories, there were no federal figures on the party lists, except, perhaps, the well-known bribe-taker Slutsky, who decided to run in all four regions at once. However, he is unlikely to leave the chair of the head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs.

For the most part, these are serial candidates, that is, people who ran several times in elections at different levels in Russia, but did not pass anywhere. Some of them went somewhere 15-20 times. And now they continue their career as "serial killers" in the occupied territories. Although there are those who, apparently, are determined to solve their business issues in these territories, for this they decided to acquire "crusts".

As for the legitimacy of all these "people's councils", even those who ran there seem to have no illusions.

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Like attracts like

On September 13, in the Amur Region of the Russian Federation, at the Vostochny cosmodrome, a meeting was held between North Korean dictators Kim Jong-un and Russia Putin. This meeting was the first in the last 4 years. Putin now rarely sees foreign leaders: he missed a meeting with BRICS allies in South Africa, the G20 summit in India, and did not even go to Turkey, having received guarantees of personal security from Erdogan. The main reason why Putin does not leave Russia is the banal fear of arrest on the basis of a warrant from the International Criminal Court for the abduction of Ukrainian children.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin has finally established himself as one of the most toxic partners in the global political arena. Cooperation with the Kremlin dictator today means getting your hands dirty in the blood of the Ukrainian people and questioning your good name and reputation.

Unable to enlist the support of world leaders, the head of the Kremlin seeks meetings and help from outcasts like himself. Russia's strategic partners today are Belarus, Iran, China, a number of African countries and the DPRK. In recent years, Russia has been rapidly transforming from a semi-market pseudo-democracy suspended in transition with destroyed civil liberties to a terrible, embittered, isolated, militaristic North Korea, a country with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, but always short of rice for food.

Given that the "special operation" dragged on for almost 19 months, and the capacities of the Russian military-industrial complex leave much to be desired, Putin has to negotiate the supply of weapons, including with the leaders of rogue states such as North Korea. Specifically, we are talking about the supply ofartillery shells and anti-tank missiles to Russia.

North Korea has in stock an impressive arsenal of artillery shells, mines, missiles and other weapons, which are analogous to Soviet models. It also has stockpiles of anti-tank missiles and surface-to-air missiles. North Korea is one of the few countries with sufficient stockpiles of Soviet-era tanks, such as those that Moscow uses in the fighting in Ukraine, such as the T-54 and T-62, and can supply them with spare parts. The list of weapons that Russia would like to receive is likely to include 122-mm and 152-mm artillery shells, as well as 122-mm missiles.

According to experts, the supply of ammunition from North Korea is unlikely to be decisive in the short term, but it will make it easier for Russia to continue the war of attrition, giving the Russian military industry the opportunity to catch up with demand.

Under severe international sanctions, North Korea does not have access to technology that would allow it to mass-produce any precision weapons. Therefore, Kim Jong-un, in turn, expects to receive missile technology and food aid from the Russian Federation. Russia is in a position to assist North Korea's nuclear program and intercontinental ballistic missile program. This is not the first time Putin has armed rogue regimes, after all, with his assistance, Iran has managed to make significant progress in the development of a nuclear bomb and become a real threat to the interests of the West, including Israel, in the region. Armed with new knowledge, North Korea will create additional problems for the United States on the other side of the globe, in the Pacific region.

Moscow's cooperation with Pyongyang and Tehran creates new global threats, so Russia's defeat in the war with Ukraine is in the interests of the entire civilized world.

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Ukraine's liberation of drilling platforms in the Black Sea

On September 11, the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced a unique special operation in the Black Sea on offshore drilling platforms - "Boyko towers".

The so-called "Boyko Towers" are gas drilling platforms known as "Petro Godovanets" and "Ukraine". These platforms were built off the coast of Crimea in 2010 and 2012 and belonged to Chornomornaftogaz. They got their unofficial name due to the fact that Yuriy Boyko, the then Minister of Energy, was engaged in the agreement on their acquisition. The facilities were installed in the territorial waters of Ukraine at the Odessa gas field, near Snake Island and 100 kilometers from Odessa. In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, the towers were seized and renamed "Crimea-1" and "Crimea-2", and in December 2015 they were moved to the Golitsynskoye field off the coast of Crimea. The Russians used them for illegal gas production on the Ukrainian sea shelf.

With the beginning of a large-scale invasion, the aggressor country used them for military purposes - as helipads and to deploy technical means for monitoring the surface situation in the Black Sea.

As a result of the military special operation With the silts of special operations of the Main Intelligence Directorate, the drilling platforms "Petro Godovanets" and "Ukraine", as well as the jack-up drilling rigs "Tavrida" and "Sivash" in the sea area between Snake Island and the western coast of Crimea, were taken under control.

According to the military intelligence of Ukraine, during one of the phases of the operation, the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate collided with the Russian Su-30 fighter. As a result of the military clash, the Russian aircraft was damaged and was forced to retreat. In addition, Ukrainian special forces managed to seize a stock of unguided aircraft missiles and the Neva radar station, which is capable of tracking the movement of ships in the Black Sea.

As a result of the operation carried out by Ukraine, Russia lost some of its capabilities to observe and defeat Ukrainian forces, and the Ukrainian Defense Forces received these capabilities.

The restoration of control over drilling platforms directly off the Crimean coast testifies to the expansion of the operational capabilities of the Defense Forces of Ukraine in the Black Sea and is another step towards the liberation of the temporarily occupied Crimea. The operation carried out by the power steering on drilling platforms is also of great symbolic importance. Ukraine is beginning to regain what was seized by Russia even before the full-scale invasion.

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A grandiose falsification

In the Russian Federation, the so-called single voting day (September 08-10, 2023), within the framework of which several election campaigns took place, has ended. Quite expectedly, nominees from the ruling pro-Putin United Russia party won everywhere (all of them allegedly received 70-80% support). In addition, the posts of governors (heads of subjects of the federation) in the Oryol region and in the Republic of Khakassia were received by representatives of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (which for the last 32 years has been playing the role of pocket / court opposition and fully supports the Kremlin's policy). United Russia also won a complete victory in the "new regions of Russia", that is, in the Crimea and the four occupied regions of Ukraine. Moreover, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Russian Federation insisted that the expression of will took place even in a number of those settlements (for example, Kherson and Lyman), which, in fact, have long been controlled by the armed forces of Ukraine.

In general, elections in an autocratic state have long turned into a farce and, in fact, voting without a real choice. However, the scale of falsifications in the Russian Federation this year was so grandiose that it should prompt the world community to doubt the legitimacy of the government and the entire regime of Putin! Of course, the main tool of the CEC for "drawing" the necessary figures was electronic voting - completely opaque, unaccountable to anyone and not controlled by anyone.

Interestingly, in some Russian regions, at the moment when technical access to electronic voting was opened, at the same time information appeared on the site that tens of thousands of "voters" were already voting.

Inside Russia, everyone is well aware that on this single voting day, a rehearsal for the presidential election, which is to be held in March 2024, took place. According to confidential information from the Kremlin, the first deputy head of the presidential administration, Sergei Kiriyenko, set the task of ensuring that the turnout in the elections of the guarantor of the constitution was 70%, and the result was at least 80%. At the same time, the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation does not get tired of coming up with more and more new methods in order to ensure the achievement of these results. Thus, the deputy chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Bulaev, announced some "point changes" in the electoral legislation until the spring of 2024, arguing that "time is running out and everything needs to be updated." Such devastating news is puzzling even among outside observers from the democratic world, because it is already quite clear to everyone that the CEC and Putin (or his protégé) will receive as many votes as they need!

Of course, a certain unfavorable event for the Kremlin's popularity should be the general mobilization in the Russian Federation, predicted by many military analysts. On the one hand, the human potentials of Russia and Ukraine are incommensurable. Kiev can rely on about 30 million people (since 8 million people have left for the West, 2.5 million people have been deported to the Russian Federation, and several million more are under occupation), while Moscow has 143 million (even if independent demographers insist on figures of 95-115 million). On the other hand, according to military analysts, the Kremlin ideally needs to bring about 100,000 new troops to the front every month. And even with huge human resources at hand, we are talking about hard organizational work for any government - to call on these next 100 thousand people, equip, arm, discipline, train and, ultimately, transport to the Ukrainian front. Part of the discontent due to new waves of mobilization during the March 2024 elections will be extinguished by generous state payments for the military, the wounded and family members of the victims. Well, аnd the rest is compensated by joint exercises with electronic voting and convenient "point changes" in the electoral law.

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The results of the elections in Russia are very eloquent

In Russia, the Single Voting Day has ended. In different regions of the country, governors and deputies of different levels were elected to regional parliaments and other municipal bodies. The results were not surprising. The three-day "election day" passed without surprises and withlegal prizes: United Russia dominated everywhere. As expected, the ruling party will take the majority in regional parliaments. Of the surprises, only Yekaterinburg: there "Yabloko" preliminarily passes to the city Duma. The Russian authorities also did everything possible to ensure that in those regions where gubernatorial campaigns were held this year, candidates from the authorities or those supported by the authorities also won. The vote was more like a game of imitation, during which the Kremlin's henchmen were reappointed. United Russia wins 19 out of 21 gubernatorial elections. In many regions, with an anomalous love for the current leaders, the results also turned out to be North Korean: for example, many governors won more than 85% of the vote.

The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation said that the largest regional elections in the last five years were held without serious violations. Butin fact, as usual, there was no mass ballot stuffing, scandals and bribery of voters. For example, in Yekaterinburg, the university published instructions for voting for United Russia. The document appeared on September 8 in the official group of the Ural Technical Institute of Communications and Informatics. The instruction to students says: the correct vote is a vote for the party in power. In most regions, politicians did not participate in elections, which could well complicate the election of "administrative" candidates, and in some cases win elections.

As for the organization of turnout throughout Russia, somewhere it was possible to achieve its highest possible values, but it is safe to say that the official turnout has nothing to do with the real number of voters.

However, the absence of any competition and intrigue did not prevent unprecedented pressure on candidates and observers in these elections. The elections were accompanied not only by stuffing and violations, but also by attacks on observers, as well as deputies (of course, not from United Russia).

During regional and municipal elections in Russia, deputies were also elected in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation claimsthat the ruling party is also leading in the elections in all "new regions". According to the CEC, all residents in the territories occupied by the Russian Federation came and unanimously voted for United Russia. According to the data provided by the election commissions organized by Russia, the party's results in the Kherson region are 72.93% of the vote, in the Zaporozhye region - 83.96%, in the "LPR" - 75.08%, in the "DPR" - 78.61%.Remarkably, the CEC of the Russian Federation "held elections" even in those territories that have not been controlled by the troops of the Russian Federation for a long time, while the boundaries of the "election maps" published on the website of the CEC of the Russian Federation do not coincide with the "map of the Russian Federation with new borders" approved by Roscartography. And is it worth paying attention to the data obtained during the "elections with machine guns".

The results of regional elections in Russia are very eloquent. A single voting day seems to have become a dress rehearsal for the presidential election. Given the realities existing in Russia, the presidential campaign should also take place with a "high" turnout and an equally "high level of support for the authorities." The 2024 elections will have to demonstrate the maximum possible consolidation of power and the people and the unanimous support of the "main candidate". What doubts can there be about their result?

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The Kremlin's Strategy and Goals in the Sham Elections in the occupied territories

Russia has actively launched a large-scale campaign in the occupied territories on the eve of the so-called "elections". Based on their results, parliaments will be formed, which will be engaged in legislative activities in the subjects. New deputies will appoint local heads of regions and municipalities - local residents themselves will not elect the executive branch at all. Elections in the occupied territories will be held exclusively on party lists. This means that residents of the regions will not vote for specific candidates. The first municipal elections in the annexed Crimea in 2014 were held on the same principle. The election commissions of the annexed territories were not even going to publish the names of nominees from the parties, explaining this by "considerations of the physical security of the candidates." The main purpose of the "elections" is to create the appearance of a legitimate electoral process and justify the occupation. It is important for the Kremlin to demonstrate the active participation of local residents in the "elections". To speed up the counting of votes, all territorial and regional "election commissions" in the occupied Ukrainian territories will be connected to the Russian "Elections" system. According to the Eastern Human Rights Group, the Kremlin has set the task for the occupation administrations to ensure that more than 5 million people take part in the "elections". Such a figure is most likely taken from the data of the occupation administrations after last year's pseudo-referendum on "joining the Russian Federation" - then 4.4 million people allegedly took part in the survey. However, these figures are significantly inflated. For example, the occupiers say, that more than 400,000 people live on the territory of the left-bank Kherson region, currently under Russian occupation, although in fact there are half as many of them. According to the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, the number of people who are ready to cooperate with the Russians is not so great. In Melitopol and the whole region (the most populated in the occupied south), about 700 people went to cooperate with the Russians. These are mainly teachers, employees of the tax and pension fund.

When organizing the electoral process, the Russian authorities are trying to create the illusion of a multi-party system - 32 parties will take part in the "elections" in the occupied territory. Of course, the main role is assigned to United Russia, and all other parties participate as decorations. There are many people with a dubious "political past" in the preliminary lists of the occupiers' nominees, since there is no one to nominate in the occupied regions: a third of candidates in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions are housewives, pensioners, students or the unemployed with an unclear source of income.

About 50% of people in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine refuse to take part in the organization and conduct of elections. The low percentage of Russian passports forced the occupiers to take extreme measures - they allowed people to vote on any identity document, even a Ukrainian driver's license.

Also, for the first time, the Russian CEC allowed the organization of "extraterritorial plots" on the territory of Russia for Ukrainians who left and live on the territory of the Russian Federation, in order to subsequently declare a high turnout of local residents for these elections. It is obvious what result will be "drawn" in such areas. The Kremlin is trying in every possible way to show the legitimacy of the “elections", but it can already be argued that these “elections" are a screen and a total deception.

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Funeral services of the electoral law of Russia

If we take into account that the main task of the Putin regime is not war, but the strengthening of power, where the seizure of foreign territories is only a tool, then it seems that "difficult times" and "difficult decisions" are again approaching in Russia, directly related to the preservation of this power. This is perhaps the most important presidential election in Putin's life. It's March 2024.

For the first time in modern history, Moscow faces the threat of a collapse on all fronts, with humiliating international isolation, the collapse of economic stability and a shameful military defeat ahead. And, most importantly, the collapse of the authority of the dictator himself - from the list of the most influential politicians in the world to an outcast who was put on the international wanted list.

Despite the unprecedented level of Kremlin propaganda, this is noticeably felt in Russia itself, which provoked a series of unprecedented measures to tighten the regime and eliminate undesirables, up to the demonstrative destruction of a civilian aircraft by the air defense system on August 23.

The authorities are consolidating all efforts not just to win the presidential race, but to create conditions where another scenario is basically impossible. It is important not only to show a beautiful "figure" of votes, but also to demonstrate to Russian society and the whole world that this is a completely legitimate result that kills any doubts and does not provoke discontent.

As a test of the capabilities of the electoral machine, a platform for a single vote to the authorities of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine on September 10, 2023 was chosen, where the military-political and social situation itself simulates the most unfavorable possible situations during the 2024 elections.

The methods by which the CEC of the Russian Federation plans to fulfill the task in these pseudo-elections are indicative. First of all, this is the most open voting window from August 31 to September 10, in order to stretch the process - not only to hide the real turnout, create a series of demonstrative stories for propaganda, make any analytics impossible - but also to implement all methods of coercion and manipulation of the results by the wartime punitive system.

For this, according to eyewitnesses, everything is involved. Door-to-door visits with Kadyrovites for intimidation and ballot boxes. Seizure of documents with return at the polling station. Forced voting on the street among random passers-by. Special days of organized expression of the will of state employees and much more.

It is also noteworthy to expand the list of voters beyond the limits of Russian citizenship (!), when any persons who are here vote for local self-government bodies: citizens of the Russian Federation, citizens of Ukraine, including those from the de-occupied regions, as well as occupiers and guest workers, according to any documents, up to a driver's license.

With regard to the planned presidential elections, as such a step, we should expect the "enrollment" in the electoral base of Ukrainians - hypothetically left for Russia or "taking part" in voting from the territory of Ukraine, even those who do not have Russian citizenship, but "due to special circumstances" - which, according to various estimates, can reach up to 8 million people.

A special role is assigned to online voting, which was successfully tested in the elections in Moscow in 2019 and to the State Duma in 2021, as a modern system of vote fraud, thanks to which the majority of oppositionists, who are clearly leading in terms of calculations, lost after taking into account the votes of "remote expression of will".

And if all other coercive measures were aimed at demonstrating mass character and creating a propaganda picture, then this know-how will, in fact, bring real voices to the declared one. In the 2023 elections, United Russia has between 80% and 89% of the vote. In the 2024 presidential election, as Dmitry Peskov kindly revealed, calling it "not democracy, but an expensive bureaucracy," Putin has more than 90% of the vote.

And so that the untwisted flywheel of electoral lawlessness does not fail, the occupation administrations have already announced that after the 2023 vote, the deployed "campaign headquarters will continue to work in preparation for the 2024 presidential election."

At the same time, there is one weak point in all this pre-election fever. Russia has embarked on a major war, in which it clearly demonstrates the collapse of its political system. Will it survive the winter, in view of the growing support of Ukraine's partners, the appearance on the battlefield of F-16s and massively multiplying Ukrainian-made drones? As Ronald Reagan noted: "There is no substitute for victory in battle."

And no matter how hard the Kremlin pushes, instead of expanding its influence in the geopolitical arena, so far it turns out only the treacherous sound of the rapidly descending air from the soap bubble of Russian power and the inflated ego of a timid dictator, simply loud zilch.