Many of you don't know this since it's not relevant to the functioning of Mobilism, but I am Ukrainian. Mobilism also has Ukrainian servers (among others), Ukrainian coders, and is obviously home to many of my fellow compatriots. You're all currently using a Ukrainian site.
Ukraine has been invaded by a country that feels no remorse for dead civilians or human suffering, and is beholden to the whims of a tyrant and his pursuit of imperial glory. We are fighting valiantly and will continue doing so. We will not give up an inch of Ukrainian soil without a fight. We will stand as Europe's shield against the land that for the past ten years we've referred to as Mordor.
To clear up misconceptions:
Russia claims that they are not targeting civilians: so far, Russian shelling and bombing have hit hospitals, ambulances, kindergartens, universities, and tens of thousands of homes; a Russian tank drove over a car with the driver (an elderly civilian) still inside. So, if they are claiming they only target the military, then either their aim is even worse than we thought, or they are blatantly lying, like they have lied for weeks about their intentions for Ukraine.
Putin claims Ukrainians are Nazis and his goal is to de-nazify Ukraine. Ukraine is the only country in Europe whose head of state is Jewish (elected with 73% of the vote). In the last election, a coalition of all far-right parties won 2.15% of the popular vote, and since that didn't meet the threshold of 5% failed to gain any parliamentary seats. What's more, I'm Jewish, as are my wife and many of our Ukrainian friends. One of the bomb shelters a part of my family is using is a gay club in downtown Kyiv. The only likeness Ukrainians have to Nazis is that we are now at war with Russians.
Putin claims Ukrainians and the West forced him to "defend Russia". Ukraine has never threatened Russia militarily. The only way it threatened Russia is by showing that it can thrive without it as a democracy. Russia's claims that they are somehow provoked into attacking us is akin to this: a wife left her abusive alcoholic ex, took the children, and issued a restraining order- so he killed her cat, trashed her car, and now showed up in her new home with a gun, all while blaming this on her and the police.
"Current sanctions are enough:" In 2008, Russia annexed a piece of Georgia. The international community offered sanctions and a slap on the wrist. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and started a bloody conflict in the east of Ukraine which had been claiming our lives for 8 years now. More sanctions followed. After Russia's total invasion of Ukraine the West implemented its most severe sanctions. And yet, they do not deter Russia from continuing the war. We're not looking for NATO to bring in troops, we'll do the fighting for our own country. Thank you to all the countries that are providing us with lethal aid and defensive equipment. We will use it for as long as we are able.
Слава Україні!
Edit 2/26: What can you do? (regularly updated)
Edit 3/1: The sanctions and support are incredible and greater than we could have hoped for when this began. Russian troops have not managed to take a single large city. Thank you to everyone who voiced their support. However, Putin is undisturbed by the collapse of Russia's economy and now fully committed to indiscriminately shelling and bombing our cities from afar, since our brave defenders have made advancing into them a nightmare for his soldiers. We still need anti-aircraft and diplomatic support. Please, we still need: viewtopic.php?p=9350765#9350765
Edit 3/4: Russian artillery continues shelling civilian areas for chaos and pressure. This is what Russia's "de-nazification" looks like:
https://vimeo.com/684782561 (Chernigov)
https://vimeo.com/684782519 (Kharkiv)
https://vimeo.com/684781822 (Kyiv)
https://vimeo.com/684782474
Edit 3/9: Still not a single large large city has fallen other than Kherson (population 290,000). Russia is furious and bombing everything in sight, this is a children's hospital in Mariupol: https://vimeo.com/686409185
Edit 3/17-27: The Russians haven't been able to take any territory in over two weeks, instead indiscriminately shelling, bombing, and attempting to starve Mariupol into submission.
A majority of Russians continue to support the war. Those in the West like to see other people as good-natured and separate them from the actions of their government, but in this case it's pure naiveite.
Edit 4/3: Everything north of Kyiv has been recaptured as of yesterday, with Russians retreating across the Belarus border. They will refocus their efforts on the south-eastern parts of Ukraine. Below are scenes of Ukrainian soldiers entering Bucha, which was under Russian control for a month. The corpses are civilians, some tortured and with hands tied behind their backs. There are also a lot of reports of rape.
https://vimeo.com/695489649
https://i.imgur.com/DPBzSzR.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/pj3C6k5.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/p0MCTrp.jpg
Edit 4/13: https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1514242356949704709
Edit 5/7: Russia has captured the majority of the ruins of what once was Mariupol but overall has had little success in the last month. That said, Russia's overall battle strategy has shifted from mindlessly pushing to entrenching in captured territory and using superior firepower. Unfortunately Russia continues to have significantly more tanks, artillery, airforce and missiles than Ukraine.
Edit 5/31: Russia has limited the scope of its operation to the Eastern regions, but has regained the initiative. It continues to have significantly more artillery, tanks and aircraft than Ukraine, and is using all of it to outrange and slowly push back Ukrainian forces.
Edit 7/4: The war grinds on. Ukraine has received more artillery, including much needed MLRS, but does not yet have enough resources to go on the counter-offensive in the East. For the time being we must continue to trade territory to bleed the Russian army. In the South we are on the offensive and pushing towards Kherson.
Edit 8/12: Russia needs to be held accountable for the murder, deportation, rape and torture it has perpetreated in Chechnya, Georgia, Ukraine and Syria for the last 20 years. Please visit https://russiaisaterroriststate.com to find out what you can do to help label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
Edit 9/9: We're on the offensive. The Russian front near Kharkiv has collapsed and we've retaken more territory in the last two days than Russia has in the last 3 months. Still pushing and liberating more and more.
Edit 11/11: Ukraine has liberated Kherson, the largest and most important city Russia had captured!
Edit 12/31: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANaVkRxDPCI
Edit 2/13: Russia has launched it's second large offensive. So far for Russia it has resulted in incremental territorial gains at the cost of huge manpower losses. https://deepstatemap.live/
Edit 5/2: The Russian offensive has failed, with Russia overall losing territory since February. All eyes are now on the Ukrainian counter-offensive, which should begin soon.
Edit 6/6: The Ukrainian counter-offensive has begun. To hinder the advance Russia has blown up the Kakhovka dam on territory it occupies. This will cause tremendous humanitarian, ecological and economic damage, some of it permanent.
Edit 6/23: There is an attempted coup in Russia by Wagner. So far they captured Rostov (1+ million pop) with no resistance
Edit 6/24: Looks like Wagner and the RU government have reached a deal. Wagner going back to their barracks after making Russia look like a failed state.
Edit 8/7: The counter-offensive is making slow and steady progress. Pushing forward quickly is impossible this time around because the entire front has been saturated with mines and fortifications. The two fronts are in the South and East. Green is retaken since the start of the counter-offensive, blue is recent.
Edit 10/30: Aid to Ukraine has become politicized in the US. I urge those not indifferent to contact their representatives - this will take 30 sec but can have a colossal impact.
Edit 12/5: Urgent Appeal to Americans
Edit 1/16: Three months have passed since further aid to Ukraine has stalled in US Congress. As of 2024, no further military aid is being provided by the US to Ukraine. In light of this I'd like to summarize three key arguments for continuing to support Ukraine:
- Ukraine is in a fight for its freedom, independence and existence. We have already liberated over 50% of the territory captured by Russia since the start of the war. There is no support within Ukraine for a ceasefire with Russia; doing so would condemn Ukrainians on occupied territory to rape, torture and deportation, while rewarding tyrants around the world and signaling that Western resolve is weak. We intend to keep fighting.
- US aid overwhelmingly consists of weapons from American stocks. Over 90% of the funds allocated for supporting Ukraine are then spent with US manufacturers for replenishing American stocks. The total of this amount is approximately 5% of America's annual defense budget. Without additional funding from Congress to replenish American stocks for weapons sent to Ukraine, there will be no more military aid to Ukraine.
- Europe has provided more aid to Ukraine than the US. The narrative that Europe is not doing enough is false. However, Europe alone does not have sufficient weaponry, while Russia has placed a huge portion of its economy on war-footing and is being supplied with weapons by China, Iran and North Korea.
Edit 2/4: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5523039
Edit 3/14: https://www.actionforukraine.org/usa3
Edit 4/20: After six months, the US has finally passed the Ukraine Supplemental, which will bring much needed military aid to our soldiers. Thank you!
This topic has become inconvenient for updates. I have started a separate topic for updates, questions and resources Here.
Ukraine has been invaded by a country that feels no remorse for dead civilians or human suffering, and is beholden to the whims of a tyrant and his pursuit of imperial glory. We are fighting valiantly and will continue doing so. We will not give up an inch of Ukrainian soil without a fight. We will stand as Europe's shield against the land that for the past ten years we've referred to as Mordor.
To clear up misconceptions:
Russia claims that they are not targeting civilians: so far, Russian shelling and bombing have hit hospitals, ambulances, kindergartens, universities, and tens of thousands of homes; a Russian tank drove over a car with the driver (an elderly civilian) still inside. So, if they are claiming they only target the military, then either their aim is even worse than we thought, or they are blatantly lying, like they have lied for weeks about their intentions for Ukraine.
Putin claims Ukrainians are Nazis and his goal is to de-nazify Ukraine. Ukraine is the only country in Europe whose head of state is Jewish (elected with 73% of the vote). In the last election, a coalition of all far-right parties won 2.15% of the popular vote, and since that didn't meet the threshold of 5% failed to gain any parliamentary seats. What's more, I'm Jewish, as are my wife and many of our Ukrainian friends. One of the bomb shelters a part of my family is using is a gay club in downtown Kyiv. The only likeness Ukrainians have to Nazis is that we are now at war with Russians.
Putin claims Ukrainians and the West forced him to "defend Russia". Ukraine has never threatened Russia militarily. The only way it threatened Russia is by showing that it can thrive without it as a democracy. Russia's claims that they are somehow provoked into attacking us is akin to this: a wife left her abusive alcoholic ex, took the children, and issued a restraining order- so he killed her cat, trashed her car, and now showed up in her new home with a gun, all while blaming this on her and the police.
"Current sanctions are enough:" In 2008, Russia annexed a piece of Georgia. The international community offered sanctions and a slap on the wrist. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and started a bloody conflict in the east of Ukraine which had been claiming our lives for 8 years now. More sanctions followed. After Russia's total invasion of Ukraine the West implemented its most severe sanctions. And yet, they do not deter Russia from continuing the war. We're not looking for NATO to bring in troops, we'll do the fighting for our own country. Thank you to all the countries that are providing us with lethal aid and defensive equipment. We will use it for as long as we are able.
Слава Україні!
Edit 2/26: What can you do? (regularly updated)
Edit 3/1: The sanctions and support are incredible and greater than we could have hoped for when this began. Russian troops have not managed to take a single large city. Thank you to everyone who voiced their support. However, Putin is undisturbed by the collapse of Russia's economy and now fully committed to indiscriminately shelling and bombing our cities from afar, since our brave defenders have made advancing into them a nightmare for his soldiers. We still need anti-aircraft and diplomatic support. Please, we still need: viewtopic.php?p=9350765#9350765
Edit 3/4: Russian artillery continues shelling civilian areas for chaos and pressure. This is what Russia's "de-nazification" looks like:
https://vimeo.com/684782561 (Chernigov)
https://vimeo.com/684782519 (Kharkiv)
https://vimeo.com/684781822 (Kyiv)
https://vimeo.com/684782474
Edit 3/9: Still not a single large large city has fallen other than Kherson (population 290,000). Russia is furious and bombing everything in sight, this is a children's hospital in Mariupol: https://vimeo.com/686409185
Edit 3/17-27: The Russians haven't been able to take any territory in over two weeks, instead indiscriminately shelling, bombing, and attempting to starve Mariupol into submission.
A majority of Russians continue to support the war. Those in the West like to see other people as good-natured and separate them from the actions of their government, but in this case it's pure naiveite.
Edit 4/3: Everything north of Kyiv has been recaptured as of yesterday, with Russians retreating across the Belarus border. They will refocus their efforts on the south-eastern parts of Ukraine. Below are scenes of Ukrainian soldiers entering Bucha, which was under Russian control for a month. The corpses are civilians, some tortured and with hands tied behind their backs. There are also a lot of reports of rape.
https://vimeo.com/695489649
https://i.imgur.com/DPBzSzR.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/pj3C6k5.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/p0MCTrp.jpg
Edit 4/13: https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1514242356949704709
Edit 5/7: Russia has captured the majority of the ruins of what once was Mariupol but overall has had little success in the last month. That said, Russia's overall battle strategy has shifted from mindlessly pushing to entrenching in captured territory and using superior firepower. Unfortunately Russia continues to have significantly more tanks, artillery, airforce and missiles than Ukraine.
Edit 5/31: Russia has limited the scope of its operation to the Eastern regions, but has regained the initiative. It continues to have significantly more artillery, tanks and aircraft than Ukraine, and is using all of it to outrange and slowly push back Ukrainian forces.
Edit 7/4: The war grinds on. Ukraine has received more artillery, including much needed MLRS, but does not yet have enough resources to go on the counter-offensive in the East. For the time being we must continue to trade territory to bleed the Russian army. In the South we are on the offensive and pushing towards Kherson.
Edit 8/12: Russia needs to be held accountable for the murder, deportation, rape and torture it has perpetreated in Chechnya, Georgia, Ukraine and Syria for the last 20 years. Please visit https://russiaisaterroriststate.com to find out what you can do to help label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
Edit 9/9: We're on the offensive. The Russian front near Kharkiv has collapsed and we've retaken more territory in the last two days than Russia has in the last 3 months. Still pushing and liberating more and more.
Edit 11/11: Ukraine has liberated Kherson, the largest and most important city Russia had captured!
Edit 12/31: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANaVkRxDPCI
Edit 2/13: Russia has launched it's second large offensive. So far for Russia it has resulted in incremental territorial gains at the cost of huge manpower losses. https://deepstatemap.live/
Edit 5/2: The Russian offensive has failed, with Russia overall losing territory since February. All eyes are now on the Ukrainian counter-offensive, which should begin soon.
Edit 6/6: The Ukrainian counter-offensive has begun. To hinder the advance Russia has blown up the Kakhovka dam on territory it occupies. This will cause tremendous humanitarian, ecological and economic damage, some of it permanent.
Edit 6/23: There is an attempted coup in Russia by Wagner. So far they captured Rostov (1+ million pop) with no resistance
Edit 6/24: Looks like Wagner and the RU government have reached a deal. Wagner going back to their barracks after making Russia look like a failed state.
Edit 8/7: The counter-offensive is making slow and steady progress. Pushing forward quickly is impossible this time around because the entire front has been saturated with mines and fortifications. The two fronts are in the South and East. Green is retaken since the start of the counter-offensive, blue is recent.
Edit 10/30: Aid to Ukraine has become politicized in the US. I urge those not indifferent to contact their representatives - this will take 30 sec but can have a colossal impact.
Edit 12/5: Urgent Appeal to Americans
Edit 1/16: Three months have passed since further aid to Ukraine has stalled in US Congress. As of 2024, no further military aid is being provided by the US to Ukraine. In light of this I'd like to summarize three key arguments for continuing to support Ukraine:
- Ukraine is in a fight for its freedom, independence and existence. We have already liberated over 50% of the territory captured by Russia since the start of the war. There is no support within Ukraine for a ceasefire with Russia; doing so would condemn Ukrainians on occupied territory to rape, torture and deportation, while rewarding tyrants around the world and signaling that Western resolve is weak. We intend to keep fighting.
- US aid overwhelmingly consists of weapons from American stocks. Over 90% of the funds allocated for supporting Ukraine are then spent with US manufacturers for replenishing American stocks. The total of this amount is approximately 5% of America's annual defense budget. Without additional funding from Congress to replenish American stocks for weapons sent to Ukraine, there will be no more military aid to Ukraine.
- Europe has provided more aid to Ukraine than the US. The narrative that Europe is not doing enough is false. However, Europe alone does not have sufficient weaponry, while Russia has placed a huge portion of its economy on war-footing and is being supplied with weapons by China, Iran and North Korea.
Edit 2/4: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5523039
Edit 3/14: https://www.actionforukraine.org/usa3
Edit 4/20: After six months, the US has finally passed the Ukraine Supplemental, which will bring much needed military aid to our soldiers. Thank you!
This topic has become inconvenient for updates. I have started a separate topic for updates, questions and resources Here.