The Russia Report

Issue 132

From the editor

Russia launched dozens of missiles at Ukraine yesterday morning - one of the biggest attacks since the start of the war in February. “We’re waiting for further proposals from ‘peacekeepers’ about ‘peaceful settlement,’ ‘security guarantees for RF’ & undesirability of provocations,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted angrily.

Russia’s Defence Ministry boasted on Telegram that it would never run out of Kalibrs

Reportedly Ukraine intercepted all 16 missiles that were fired at Kyiv, while 90 percent of Lviv was without electricity because of the attacks. Ukrainian journalist Bohdana Neborak tweeted, “How to explain [to] any foreigner what is it like when your windows tremble from explosions? I still don’t know a good metaphor to explain what Russia does, because Russia performs genocide. Genocide doesn’t accept any metaphors. Genocide is in these trembling window glasses.”

Russia’s Defence Ministry was unrepentant, posting on its Telegram channel a picture of a Kalibr cruise missile launching with the words “We will never run out of Kalibrs.” Earlier in the week Ukraine had apparently attacked Engels military air base in Saratov with a drone, the wreckage of which killed three servicemen when it was shot down, according to the Russians. Meanwhile the former head of Roskosmos, Dmitri Rogozin, who had boasted about going to fight in Ukraine, underwent an operation after being injured in the buttocks in an explosion in a restaurant in occupied Donetsk where he was attempting to celebrate his 59th birthday on Dec. 21.

A century after the creation of the Soviet Union Vladimir Putin gave gold rings to the eight other leaders of the CIS countries at a summit in St. Petersburg. Lord of the Rings analogies were abundant, since Russia’s nickname has long been Mordor and its troops are routinely referred to as orcs. Putin now seems to have embraced that imagery, although he would rather see himself as Sauron than the character he is usually depicted as, Gollum. Only good friend Alexander Lukashenko actually put his ring on. The war has strained Russia’s relations with Central Asian countries, and Armenia’s PM Nikol Pashinyan has expressed frustration that Russia isn’t doing enough to end the Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh.

A year ago the Ukraine war was a worst case scenario that many couldn’t believe would really happen. Now we are all used to seeing scenes indistinguishable from those of World War II in 21st-century Europe as Putin continues his crusade to restore his beloved Soviet Union before he dies. On Saturday Russians will no doubt immerse themselves in Soviet traditions of watching old movies and seeing in the New Year with food and vodka. Some may be able to enjoy themselves without thinking at all about Ukrainians. But 2023 will bring them only misery. When they need help, Putin won’t be there for them.

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Australian killed fighting for Ukraine

Sage O’Donnell, 24, from Australia, was killed fighting for Ukraine on Dec. 21. O’Donnell had served in the Australian army for six years as an artillery observer. In a statement O’Donnell’s mother said that he had “died in action defending the freedom of the Ukrainian people”. He “chose to take action based on his empathy for the Ukrainian people, and the injustice that is taking place. He fell in love with Ukraine and its culture, and was humbled by the kindness and hospitality within his new community,” O’Donnell’s mother said.

Pro-Ukraine activist sentenced to nine years in prison

Darya Polyudova, a Russian activist who has been campaigning for Ukraine since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for “forming an extremist group” – which she called Left Resistance. Russia’s western district military court also found Polyudova guilty of justifying terrorism for posts on social media in 2019 saying that Putin and other traitors should be executed.

Polyudova was already serving a six-year prison sentence handed to her in May last year for justifying terrorism and calling for extremism. She has also served previous sentences for separatism for calling for independence for the southern Kuban region and holding a sign saying that the Kuriles should stop feeding Russia and that the country’s far east should create its own republic.

Jehovah’s Witness gets six-year prison sentence

A court in Krasnoyarsk has sentenced Jehovah’s Witness Alexander Filatov to six years in prison for “organising the activity of an extremist organisation”. Filatov was arrested in July 2021 and his case was linked to that of another Jehovah’s Witness, Andrei Stupnikov, who also received a six-year sentence in June last year.

Illegal care home fire kills 22

Twenty-two people were killed in a fire in an illegally operating care home in Kemerovo on Saturday morning. The top floor of the two-storey wooden building was destroyed by the fire. Unregistered care homes are considered private property and are not subject to fire inspections. An evangelical pastor who was believed to be running the care home was detained for questioning.