Russian Doomer Current Events Update

Kremlin paralysis, Lukashenko forced to give in to bullying, stupid war, more of the same and maybe something will happen sometime.

The past few weeks have seen a surge of alarming developments for Russia and it’s hard to know where to begin exactly. A few months ago I posted an article speculating that the elite consensus amongst the “Russian” ruling class is breaking down and I take no pleasure in reporting that Russian Nationalist Social Media has begun saying the same thing. Let’s start out with something I wrote several months ago in this post here:

In the above post I wrote the following:

if the SMO and the accompanying sanctions placed on the R.F. and many members of the Elite were not in themselves ruinous at first, then there were still many unresolved financial and industrial problems that were exacerbated. Unfortunately, these problems were not solved, they were typically ignored, put off for consideration some other time, etc etc with the result that the consequences of these problems have just compounded over 4+ years resulting into cascading failures that have the “Russian” Elite jockeying to save themselves from the fall out of their own policies

The Kremlins fanatical commitment to putting off hard decisions that might impact negatively on the “Russian” Ruling Classes Financial and Familial Interest in the West is now becoming increasingly untenable according to disgruntled observers.

From the ever dependable Katushka:

Mikhail Khazin recently shared an interesting observation: Moscow is empty. And it’s not about the city, but about what are called “corridors of power.” According to him, the following is happening right now: there is a need to make certain decisions, and no one wants to do this. And in order not to have to do this (because it is NECESSARY, and it is necessary not just objectively, but existentially), they simply ran away. Moreover, from both capitals. Well, so that it doesn’t turn out like in February 2022, when top officials were simply dragged out under the cameras and forced to publicly approve a well-known decision.

And if what dear Mikhail Leonidovich says is really true, then a lot falls into place. And the absolutely inadequate reaction of the ruling community to the events is becoming understandable. Or rather, the complete absence of one. Because any reaction will inevitably require the same decisions, and no one wants to make them, or they want someone else to do it. Meanwhile, rockets continue to fly across the country, the enemy is openly preparing for an attack on Crimea and aggression against Belarus, killing sleeping children in dormitories, and people are watching all this and slowly going crazy.

As a result, negative potential accumulates very quickly in the country, which is actively used by the enemy, whose main bet is to create riots in our rear. And no, we are not talking about their direct organization (although they will try to do that too). There is such a thing as releasing negative potential randomly. And if this potential is high, detonation can be very destructive, especially in war conditions. It is precisely on the accumulation of this potential that the enemy is working. And a huge part of the ruling community of the Russian Federation actively helps him in this.

And nothing contributes to this more than the feeling that the country is out of control, that there is no one in the control room, and at best it is moving on autopilot, and at worst it is just rolling downhill.

One thing pleases: this will not last long - the system does not tolerate a vacuum. The question is exactly how long it will be “for a short time” and how much it will cost the country and the people.

And also, who exactly will be the first to show the will and make those very decisions. The future of the system, the country, and those who have now “run away” depend on it.

The current status quo of NATO having free reign to strike at will inside Russia from behind a Ukrainian scarecrow while Russia targets sheds and solar panels in Ukraine is not sustainable and Russia doesn’t have the means to take even Donbass anytime in the next year much less Kharkov and Odessa. The Kremlins die hard, messianic restraint and refusal to respond when it’s redlines are crossed have finally allowed NATO to bring the war home to regular Russians who don’t have any relatives or friends who have been directly impacted by the fighting. There are now gas shortages all over the country due to Ukrainian strikes on refineries and this is being compounded by Russian Suppliers passing on the cost of the deficits to consumers. Tsargrad reports:

The federal authorities say: the supply of petroleum products is proceeding as planned. Then why is the price rising? Operators at gas stations explain directly:

The purchase price increased, our boss swore at the prices of wholesalers, but what’s the point? Buyers accuse us: “You raised prices!” But if the price is raised there, what should we do, sell at a loss?

Machine Translated Screen Shot from a Russian News Site

The people who run Lukoil, Gazprom, etc are a very influential part of the “Russian” Ruling Elite but instead of demanding that Moscow get serious about protecting National Infrastructure they are just passing the costs of strikes against their facilities onto consumers. This is understandable, the top share holders for these companies have way too much invested in the West and escalation against NATO threatens these investments. The problem is that the current situation can’t go on forever, if the gas situation isn’t corrected than it will become increasingly impossible for the Kremlin to maintain the illusion of stability. Tsargrad notes the absurdity of these gas shortages when Iran had no such problem during Operation Epstein Fury, and no such problem exists in Kiev:

Why didn’t Iran, even at the peak of the acute military conflict with the United States and Israel, rip off it’s citizens at gas stations? But Tehran could have shrugged its shoulders: no money, open up your wallets! Last year, Iran exported between 1.6 and 1.8 million barrels of oil per day. At the peak of the conflict, exports fell by more than seven times.

But a liter of gasoline at gas stations in Iran today costs 2.5 rubles in terms of our money, and thanks to strict state control and large-scale subsidies, Iran retains its position as the world leader in cheap fuels and lubricants.

The situation on the market is regulated by limits within the preferential quota. It is allocated to Iranians on a monthly basis. Gasoline in excess of the norm can be bought at a commercial price of 5 rubles per liter. This is still the most affordable price in the world.

About 80% of Iranian drivers fit within the basic monthly quota of 160 liters. The country, we recall, has been living under the most severe sanctions for 47 years.

Russia ranks third in the world in terms of oil production, behind the United States and Saudi Arabia. Russia ranks fourth in the world in terms of domestic consumption of motor fuel. The first three places are the United States, China and Brazil.

What about fuel in Kiev?

We’re bombing it, let’s go, do all the people of Kiev walk on foot or move in carts? No, everything is fine there. The situation with gasoline in Kiev is stable, there is no shortage of fuel. The market operates autonomously thanks to logistics supply chains from Europe. Fuel is transported by tanks by rail from Poland and Romania.

Fuel trucks are used en masse. We seem to hit them, but they arrive in considerable numbers all the same. From Slovakia and Hungary, fuel and lubricants go through our pipelines. Tankers and barges are involved.

A liter of A-95, for example, costs 139 rubles. However, it exists.

This reality where Iran didn’t have gas issues during the height of Epstein Fury boils down to the fact that unlike it’s “Russian” Counterpart the Iranian Government is not exclusively an appendage of a rapacious oligarchy. Presumably if Israel and the Americans hadn’t killed so many very highly placed Iranian Liberals there might have been something similar in Iran to what we are seeing in Russia which leads to another interesting observation from Verum Regnum about Moscow’s inability to keep pretending everything is going as planned:

Do you know what a “desperate situation” is? This is a situation that we don’t like the simple and obvious way out of.

Social Media is full of various tragic and rhetorical questions, such as:

Why don’t we respond to this or that strike on Russia?

Why didn’t we bomb bridges and roads, thermal power plants, refineries, factories and steamships?

Why was the blockade of Crimea allowed (and by the way, why haven’t they stopped the flow of tourists to Crimea yet)?

Why don’t we hit the decision-making centers, but rather the sheds?

Why is everything wrong?

You listen to these screams, and it seems that we are in some kind of hopeless situation. But in fact — see above — “we” (that is, the “authorities”) are in a situation where “we” don’t like the obvious way out.

Why is everything the way it is? Because the management system, the administrative system, and just the system in general is not coping. It does not make the necessary decisions, does not check and does not want to check the execution of those already made, does not analyze their effectiveness, is not able to think even half a step ahead, and is rotten from bottom to top in personnel terms. It just can’t do anything, and all the Viagra in the world won’t be able to help.

But this situation is not hopeless at all. There is a way out! — it’s about updating the system, namely, completely replacing senior staff in all areas, regardless of “merit” and “connections.” Moreover, they should be replaced by young people with “no experience” — that is, those who had not previously worked in the system. At the same time, it would be good to isolate all those who were replaced at once somewhere beyond the Arctic Circle so that they could not interfere with the activities of their relievers.

Why hasn’t this been done yet, even though the system’s malfunction has been obvious to everyone for a long time and only a clinical idiot can overlook it? That’s why it wasn’t done, because “we” (the authorities) are not able to think about anything else but their bank accounts, loved ones, their children, who are always short of money, positions and decorations, and chairs which are comfortable to sit in.

But this does not mean that it is basically impossible to change the system on the go. It’s possible. And most importantly, it will be done anyway, one way or another: either by an enemy who will destroy the current “authorities” (as was the case in Iran), or by an outraged people who will demolish the authorities themselves (as has happened many times in many places in history).

I was happy to see a project that I respect making the connection between Iran surviving Epstein Fury round 1 and Israel and America killing the countries Ruling Class. Needless to say, for Regnum to post that such a thing might be beneficial for Russia in terms of correcting the current situation is really ballsy, that’s the sort of thing that will get FSB kicking in your door and I was surprised to see that stated explicitly on a public telegram channel. A favorite of ours around here, Comrade Artem, posted this yesterday:

The isolation of Crimea meets with no resistance. The enemy takes out logistics, as they say, in one gate. Drivers are dying, and the very possibility of delivering anything to Crimea is becoming impossible.

The top officials of the Russian Federation pretend that nothing is happening and also continue to beg for the spirit of Anchorage and negotiations. The Russian Armed Forces are not carrying out any retaliatory measures. Only the standard strikes against who knows what, after which reality does not change in the so-called Ukraine. There are lights on in the houses, there is gasoline at gas stations, and in general peaceful life does not change in any way.

Obviously, the question before the ruling stratum in the Russian Federation has become urgent: either we fight to the fullest, go all in and all that, or accept the terms of the British-French-German ultimatum.

Judging by the rhetoric, the ultimatum was not accepted, but judging by the actions, they are considering this option seriously. Otherwise, the whole of the so-called Ukraine would have been on fire, bridges across the Dnieper would have been blown up, the so-called “government quarter” in Kiev would have been demolished, substations running from nuclear power plants would have been demolished, the water supply of large cities would have been destroyed, etc.

Now, from my point of view, is the most dramatic point of the war that has been going on for more than 12 years.

So, we have 3 different posts noting that the current state of affairs can’t go on and that’s the general sentiment on Russian Social Media right now. Too many problems have accumulated that can’t be resolved within the framework that the current “Russian” Ruling Class is comfortable operating within. Solving the gas problem would require price freezes combined with opening reserves and subsidies that come out of the pockets of the Energy Oligarchs which is never, ever happening in the R.F. The entire reason that the government of the RF exists is to allow the oligarchy to loot the country and send all the income from this looting to the West. Addressing these problems requires actions that run 100% contrary to the logic of the ruling class. Force the Oligarchs to sell cheaper and give subsidies? Who the hell do you think you are? What’s next? Reviving the USSR and Socialism? Hit Ukraine for real? Are you insane? I got kids and property in London and who is going to make sure MI5 doesn’t mess with all that. Build working air defenses? And who is going to pay for the factories to do that? My gay son wants a 6th story on his yacht and my mistress in Paris needs a new Bentley. If the Military needs a new a factory have them crowd fund on telegram for it. Oh yeah we banned telegram. Well whatever have them make their own telegram and crowd fund on that and if their new telegram works we will ban it.

Respected Readers this is why I constantly rage against the meme that Russia is still somehow a Stalinist Communist Country. If you want to understand why Russia can’t win the war under the current leadership, you need to understand that Russia is a Turbo Capitalist Paradise where all the John Galt wannabes dictate their terms to Moscow. The difference between the U.S. and Russia is simply that Russia does not have the key to the dollar printing press, it actually can’t feed a rapacious oligarchy and serious MIC simultaneously. More importantly perhaps, the U.S.’s cultural capital is simply colossal. In Russia this has changed a bit since Maidan but only amongst Normal Russians. “Russian” Oligarchs worship at the altar of America and Western Europe just as reverently as any hohol or baltoid. That’s not even remotely an exaggeration, it is why Kremlinites seriously don’t see anything even slightly wrong about Putins personal envoy to America surfing in Miami while American munitions are blowing up Russian Civilians and Soldiers.

Screen Shot from the NY Post

We are talking about literally the same people that destroyed the USSR with their own hands with the express purpose of remaking Russia in Americas image, to expect these people to now fight America is not reasonable. So, if Russia has been placed in unsustainable position by its effective managers what is the likely outcome going to be? According to Strelkov a good chunk of the ruling class is probably making their peace with total capitulation. On June 17 he wrote:

I have a more and more persistent impression that some of our elites already believe that we have been defeated in this war and are only looking for a way out of this war with the least damage to themselves. At the same time, I emphasize, it is for myself. They have never thought about Russia and are not going to think about it in the future. Disgusting, just disgusting.

So, Comrade Artem and Strelkov are both speculating that Moscow is seriously considering surrender now. Presumably not every last Nomenklatura Family is ready to throw in the towel, those that will be the most downwardly mobile under the new rules of the game dictated by Washington will probably try and go after the systemic liberals. Nikolai Patrushev is currently doing that which we read about in the post I already linked but this shouldn’t confused with him trying to get Putin to fight for real. He is simply trying to make sure the people he represents have a chair when the music stops. His actions amount to trying to hold back the tide with a broom as Luv said in Bladerunner 2049 and even with a good chunk of the spook apparatus behind him he won’t be able to change the fundamental logic of the R.F. Ruling Class. The truth is that even his son’s mistress is always wearing the most fashionable and expensive Western Name Brand Clothes, and her kids are rumored to be in the U.K. That is even the most “hawkish” public face of the “Russian” Elite is sold out. In order to right the situation you would need not only a new ruling class; you would need one whose values are literally diametrically opposed to the current one. In other words, you would need a revolution basically.

In summary the Kremlinite Overlord Class is stuck in a kind of paralysis where nobody wants to be the be party that is the first to say that a serious decision needs to be made, surrender unconditionally or actually fight because the current status quo is unsustainable. Both options are bad from the standpoint of the elite, but fighting is the worst option because it means they lose everything they have invested in the West. Surrender is also bad because it means some of the current “Russian” VIPs will become downwardly mobile as part of the U.S. surrender terms will be controlling shares over Russian strategic resources. Some of the Nomenklatura families with shares in the Russian Energy and Mineral Sectors will need to sell out to Blackrock, Vanguard etc. Given that the logic of the Ruling Class is to become clones of Western VIP Oligarchs that second option, though painful is better than the first by far where they lose absolutely everything they have in the West. What’s best for normal Russians will never ever cross their minds.

The next most important doomer news item is probably the threats that Zelensky has started making against Belarus.

Screenshot from the sun UK

The subtext to this threat is pretty bewildering when you think about it. For one, the relay equipment that Zelensky was demanding be removed doesn’t actually have any impact at all on Ukraine’s Military or Economic situation. As we have gone over dozens of times already, Russia does not target anything important when it hits Ukraine with missiles and drones. If different Leadership sat in the Kremlin then this relay equipment located in Belarus would be very dangerous, but as things are in reality it is harmless unless we are talking about danger to sheds, solar panels, barren plots of land and empty garages. Once that is taken into consideration it is apparent that Zelenskys demand was purely a political flex meant to put Lukashencko in a position where he had only 2 bad options to choose from. Comply and look weak or not comply and risk drone and missile attacks on Belarus which he will be unable to prevent.

If the logic behind Zelesnky’s threat wasn’t protecting Ukraine in a military or economic sense seeing as how Russia doesn’t use the relays for anything damaging than we need to look elsewhere for the actual purpose. A few hours ago, Zelensky claimed that Lukashencko complied with his demands which Minsk has not confirmed or denied yet. This indicates that we shouldn’t expect Ukrainian attacks on Belarus in the immediate future and since the Russian Relays are literally worthless and don’t do anything because of how strictly tied MoD hands are we can’t determine if Zelenskys claim is true judging by the relative effectiveness of Russian strikes from here on out. If Zelensky is lying than he scored nothing more than a very fleeting PR victory. If he is telling the truth than we should expect very bad things in the future because Lukashencko’s compliance indicates that he is vulnerable to military ultimatums. Since keeping their Italian Villas and London Penthouses is more important to the “Russian” Ruling Class than keeping Belarus in the R.F.s orbit we are essentially looking at a situation where Russia loses Belarus slowly as ZOG West exercises this newly acquired leverage which Moscow delivered to them on a silver platter via it’s chronic shows of weakness over the course of the SMO.

Imagine, these relays were absolutely pointless because Moscow didn’t use them for anything beyond blowing up sheds and random gas stations, they might as well have not been there anyway. Since Moscow wasn’t using them for anything important and isn’t willing protect the country hosting them it follows that Moscow should have never set them up in the first place. This utterly pointless exercise has just let ZOG West know that all they have to do is manufacture a pretext to militarily threaten Belarus and chances are Lukashenko will fold and we can’t blame him. It’s not his fault that Russia uses/used the relays to bomb outhouses and empty fields and for all we know he may have even asked Putin to take them down since they were pointless and could lead to the very situation that has now developed. He surely understands after 4+ years of watching Russia let its red lines be trampled that should Ukraine start bombing Belarus that all we will see some from Russia is a statement from Lavrov or Zakharova that reads “we are shocked and concerned about the nazi Zelensky regimes attacks on our Allie Belarus. Russia has never threatened or attacked Ukraine’s allies that provide Kiev with ISR data, weapons and financial aid. It greatly saddens us that nazi, satanist Zelensky will not extend the same courtesy to Russia, and we are ready for constructive negotiations at the earliest opportunity”.

As for the situation at the front not much has changed since my last stupid war update other than Ukraine has upped their drone campaign against Crimea to the point where gas is no longer available to civilians on the peninsula and Russian Military Logistics in Southern Donbass, Zaporozhe and Kherson are under more strain than ever. Whether this strain on Russian Logistics means anything in the strategic sense is a trickier question than one might assume at first for a few reasons. For one, Russia has no operational strategy for winning the war, we don’t know if Ukraine does, and if Ukraine does, we don’t know if that includes any big arrow strategic level attacks against Russia. That is, we don’t know if Ukraine strangling Russian logistics is just a measure to take pressure off their troops at the front or if it will translate into isolating the Russian Front from its rear in preparation for some kind of major Ukrainian counterattack. I am skeptical that Ukraine possesses enough offensive capable reserves for another 22 or summer of 23 type counterattack, but should Ukraine succeed in strangling Russian Logistics long-term than it’s very well within the realm of possibility that NATO will provide Ukraine with the means for another attempt at a major offensive. Much depends on how well Russia adapts here. In the past week or so Russia has averaged about 4km a day in advances across the whole front which is actually an increase over the previous few months average of around 1or2. This means that the strain Ukraine is putting on Russian Logistics is a relative phenomenon, it isn’t halting Russian advances entirely and its effect is only compensating for lack of Ukrainian Infantry at the front. As of now the Ukrainian expert drone game is acting as a measure to cover for other sever disadvantages the AFU currently is experiencing in terms of manpower but should Russia fail to counter this bad trend we should expect to see NATO forking over the money, equipment, and generally all the odds and ends Ukraine will require for another summer of 23 style offensive.

Russia seems to be poised to capture Konstantinovka in the next month or 2 which is much sooner than I was predicting a few months ago. It is the last particularly large urban shield for Kramatorsk on the southern axis, and to the east of Slavyansk Russia has apparently already taken Rai Alexandrovka which the last settlement that stands directly between Russian Troops and that iconic city. So, in theory we ought to be seeing the fight for Slavyansk and Kramatorsk starting sometime in maybe the spring of next year.

My ghetto Yandex Map above shows the Slavyansk/Kramatorsk front. The lower redline shows Konstantinovka which will be cleared of Ukrainians probably in 3-5 weeks. The distance between Konstantinovka and Kramatorsk which is the lower yellow highlighted city is about 26 kilometers and the towns of Druzhkovka and Alekseevo Druzhkovka stand between Russian Troops and Kramatorsk’s Southern Outskirts. I genuinely don’t see Russian Soldiers setting foot in the city’s southern outskirts anytime soon regardless of Konstantinovka being set to fall sooner than I projected, maybe next summer imo. On the upper right side of my Ghetto Yandex Map I have underlined the town Rai Alexandrovka in red, this is currently where Russian Troops are fighting to the east of Slavyansk which is the highlighted town at the upper left. I have helpfully hand drawn a black line between Slavyansk and Rai Alexandrovka with 19km written next to it. 19km is very much a “so close but so far” distance in SMO terms. Unlike between Konstantinovka and Kramatorsk there aren’t any significant population centers directly between Rai Alexandrovka and Slavyansk. There is however a minor river network and if the Russians attack along the roadway which I assume they will they will have to clear out Nikolaevka which is the town slightly northwest of Rai Alexandra. What does this map and all this BS mean? Not much imo. Expect fighting on the outskirts of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk sometime in late Spring or Early Summer of next year if Russia hasn’t capitulated yet. Ukraine has major problems with manpower, but they are doing a good job offsetting this with drones.

As I say every time I discuss the stupid war, the outcome won’t be decided on the battlefield. Russia’s Leadership thinks and operates within a paradigm that doesn’t allow for permanently rupturing relations with the West. Therefore, Russia can’t win on the battlefield, Ukraine simply doesn’t have enough hohols to win via big arrow operations and NATO is not ready to openly and formally declare war against Russia yet. With all that taken into consideration if Ukraine has a strategy for winning it likely involves expanding its missile and drone warfare operations inside Russia which it is empowered to do in the face of Russia’s manic and fanatical restraint. Here are some recent headlines from around the internet on that theme:

And:

And

And:

There is absolutely no grounds whatsoever to think that NATO/Ukraine can’t or won't expand their drone/missile campaign inside Russia. Ukraine is already getting good results and the safest projection that can be made right now is that Russian Infrastructure will continue going up in flames and eventually the Kremlin is going to need to make a decision and there is only one possible option within the parameters that the Russian Leadership operates within. Surrender. This isn’t baseless dooming Dear Readers, the drones that Europe and America are cranking out for Ukraine are cheaper than S400s, S300s, BUK missiles etc. The attrition math here just is what it is, and it isn’t good. More air defenses would be nice but that alone won’t work, it needs to be paired with real deterrence, and the Kremlin has already reached its escalation threshold. Enough with the gay war blogging though.

Let’s close out with a telegram post from a very young Russian SMO Vet describing his first time under fire.

The end of 2023:

I’m riding along the frozen road to war in a battered old Kamaz, listening to the fist impacts of incoming artillery a couple of kilometers away.

Soldiers just as fresh and unsoiled as me are riding along in the back, under the torn canvas.

Some of them fucked up by coming here and will never go home.

Some of them decided this hell was better than a prison cell.

In your neural connections, the question most likely arose as to how did a 19-year-old boy from a workplace in a battered factory find himself in a meat grinder where everyone but you doesn’t give a shit if you live or die.

I will answer this question in the following parts.

I can only say that it was due to my own stupidity and immaturity at that time.

We arrived after about 40 minutes at the first field fortifications I had seen in my life..

Quick disembarkation

The leader of the group screams at the top of his voice: GET THE FUCK DOWN!! GET YOUR DUMB ASSES DOWN!!

We hid in the bare branches of bushes, lying almost without breathing

At that time, I still didn’t understand what the fuck I was getting into and where the road from horror and overwhelming pain to unending fear would lead me.

Salamon was a 37-year-old man with a haunted look and a scar on his right cheek, he was one of those types of people who could get out of any shit situation. He handed me a smoke and an energy drink and this timely kind act turned around my shitty mood right quick.

He looked at me with tired eyes and started talking.

Salamon: how much longer will my heels be frozen to my ass?

Me: who the fuck knows, where are we at all?

Salamon: I don’t know other than I’m where I don’t want to be.

Me: Yeah

Salamon: don’t piss on yourself, we’re going to move soon, my ass can sense it.

And so it happened that after a while, the command to move was given.

And we went into the cold unknown.

Into the darkness where you see fuck all.

We halted around 4 a.m., frozen to the bone

At that moment, I saw the war, though not in its full glory.

I would meet her eyes again in the next few hours.

After arriving at the appointed position, we began to spread out.

The strong point was not far from the front line maybe 700 meters, according to my assumptions.

We begin taking our places inside fighting positions which were all along the length of the winding trench.

Those guys who had been here for a long time met us with a dead look which somehow conveyed relief and regret simultaneously.

I didn’t pay attention to their expressions at the time.

I mean we can look however, we came here to fight, and we are gonna fucking fight eventually. We are the badest motherfuckers in the world.

We didn’t know what the future really held in store.

We didn’t guess and had no idea what war really was.

As we began to settle in, someone rushed over to the tiny pot belly heater, which was barely standing

Someone sat down to eat a half-eaten coconut candy bar

And some of us, without removing any gear, languidly smoked, constantly listening, preparing for something terrible.

What was waiting for all of us

I also lit a cigarette, throwing off a small lump, there was not much use from the pot belly stove, it was obviously worse than the heater in the barracks

Chizh is a seasoned soldier with broken teeth

At the beginning of 2023 he had signed a contract to serve in reconnaissance, but he ended up with us due to a drunken fight.

Chizh: Well, you all set bro?

Me: Set for what?

I ask him with a tremor and excitement in my voice.

Chizh: ready for battle, what else

I nodded slowly, trying to maintain the image of a confident bad ass.

Someone outside the trench line starts yelling:

THE FAGGOTS ARE COMMING!!

We confusedly throw our gear back on, trembling fingers attempt to fasten buckles and close buttons on pouches.

We poke our heads above the earthworks to try and get a look at what is happening.

Someone is running along the trench completely lost and can’t find his way back to his position.

The long time residents we met upon our arrival are a casually observing us and the terrain to our front.

I, in turn, pressed myself against the wall of the trench, bound by an animal terror.

Adrenaline is somehow pumping behind my very pupils.

I didn’t understand a damn thing that was happening.

With my nerves at the fraying point, I pop my rifle out over the top of the trench and let out a burst, who the fuck knows where. Somali style.

The bullets seemed endless, as if time had stopped

But the cartridges ran out just as unexpectedly as the enemy’s reconnaissance probe.

While trying to reload my rifle with shaking hands, my gaze falls on sparrow.

The guy is 23 years old, and as it turned out not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

During our initial training, he stood out for his extremely fucked-up nature and retarded bravado.

He stood up to his full height and screamed BLAYAYAYAT

He tried to shoot at the enemy, as a result of which his body, shot through the neck and frontal lobe, ended up on the snow-covered trench floor within 15 seconds

That’s when I saw death.

She’s not what you think she is.

Not heroic

Not bright

Not like in movies or games

He tumbled like a sack of potatoes onto the frozen soil and let out a quit rattle.

His rattle seemed to go on forever.

But at one point, everything finally went quiet.

I couldn’t pry my eyes away from him.

I was so trapped that I didn’t understand where I was or what I was doing

Phoenix brought me back to earth with a blow to my helmet.

Phoenix: get the fuck up, we have to work.

I stood up in silence, shivering all over, not from the cold, but more from shock

Phoenix was a man who had been at war for a long time, having been transferred to us from a penal battalion.

We didn’t like each other at first.

But that first fight changed everything.

I followed him to sparrow’s body exactly as ordered.

While loading up the body we talked about life for a long time and smoothed out our previous unfriendly relationship.

That’s how I found my best friend and older brother there, a father in the most intimate sense.

Illustration on the Authors page that accompanied this recollection