2024-08-20 |

2024-08-20 | 2024, and Russia’s history is once more turning on the Kursk region. This is the campaign that broke Putin – that showed the world the hollowness and impotence of the Russian army, the lunacy of his invasion of Ukraine and the toxic propaganda that sustains his regime. We are now in the second week of Ukraine’s offensive within Russia, and there is no sign of a military response from Putin that has any chance of dislodging the Ukrainian forces. There are Georgians and Belarussians said to be among the troops, emphasising the anti-imperial character of the fightback against Russia.

‪@SiliconWafers‬
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In early 1941, spies and diplomats started to warn Joseph Stalin, dictator of the Soviet Union, that that the Nazis were about to strike. Reports that it was Hitler’s intention to rip up the non-aggression pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany were received with increasing frequency and urgency. Stalin, apparently ignored them, believing them that the Germans would not choose to fight on two fronts, and any invasion would only come after they had defeated France. Soviet intelligence purportedly named the exact, or almost exact, date of the invasion no fewer than 47 times in the 10 days before “Operation Barbarossa” went into effect.

Fast forward to 2024, and it seems that Putin may have been warned of Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk days before it began, but again ignored the warnings. We examined the possible reasons why in the previous episode, but the historical parallels are interesting, nonetheless.

The historical ironies accumulate. The battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 was a critical turning point in World War II, an encounter that both sides knew would reshape the war. The adversaries were at the peak of their respective military powers. More than three million men and eight thousand tanks met in the heart of the Soviet territory. Defeat ended German hopes of restoring their position on the Eastern Front and put the Red Army on the road to Berlin. From there, Stalin went on to take Berlin, and place his brutal imprint on the post war order in Central and Eastern Europe. Many ancient states in Europe came under the dominance of The Soviet Union, and a process of political Russification extinguished their independence and hopes of democratic development.
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Sources and recommended reading:
https://kyivindependent.com/syrskyi-k...
https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-w...
https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-a...
https://kyivindependent.com/10-days-o...
https://kyivindependent.com/mick-ryan...
https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-e...
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Save Ukraine
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Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas
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UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine
https://unbroken.org.ua/

Come Back Alive
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Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen
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UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy
https://u24.gov.ua/

Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation
https://prytulafoundation.org

NGO “Herojam Slava”
https://heroiamslava.org/

kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl
https://kharpp.com/

NOR DOG Animal Rescue
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