Roman Tsymbalyuk

Not every person, even if they are holders of Russian passports, are skilled enough to drive a tank, spot Grad MLRS fire, or charge a Buratino heavy flamethrower. However, Russians are brought up as an "exceptional nation," blessed with a special mission on this planet and unique knowledge. But here, two questions arise.

First, according to Russian newsmakers, the U.S. somehow managed to "set up" as much as two revolutions in Ukraine for only $5 billion. How come Russia couldn’t? After all, this sum is a trifle for the Kremlin. Moreover, funding the war in Donbas and maintaining the occupied Crimea are both much more costly endeavors.

The second question: if not all Russian citizens know how to use high-end weaponry, then how come "tractor drivers and miners" in occupied Donbas can? This raises serious doubts about the superpowers of Russians and even suggests that Moscow has been openly lying to conceal the crimes they have committed in Ukraine over the past three years.

It is worth recalling that at the first stage of Crimea seizure, the Kremlin referred to their army as "self-defense volunteers," and responded to all demands to stop the invasion with a claim that no one could actually prove that those armed men were in fact the GRU [military intel] spec-op troops. Had Putin been confronted with a leaked copy of his top secret order on invasion, this paper, at that time, would’ve instantly been declared a fake. Hundreds of Russian experts argued for the groundlessness of any charges of invasion, calling them "ridiculous" and claiming that "Russian uniform can be bought at any military shop." However, as soon as the concept changed, and Putin acknowledged the fact of the invasion, these very people started "explaining" how wise the Russian leader had been, and how he "once again outplayed them all."

How can one keep shouting out to the whole world about the "civil war" in Ukraine and at the same time continue military operations against Ukraine? Moscow found an "original" way - to play oblivious and deny everything

The war in Donbas began just like it had in Crimea, but the result turned out to be somewhat different. They sought to grab a piece of land stretching at least from Kharkiv to Odesa, but they only managed to "bite off" part of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Along the way, they killed nearly 10,000 people and shot down MH17. If not for such "collateral damage," perhaps Putin would have already boasted the skills of the brave Russian artillerymen, who showered a deadly rain on Ukraine, only to free it from fascism and, apparently, the Ukrainians as well...

The war requires real resources. And it’s not only manpower. The troops need equipment, fuel, spare parts, weaponry, ammunition, communications, EW systems, uniforms, food for the personnel, and much more. But here comes the most important question: how can one keep shouting out to the whole world about the "civil war" in Ukraine and at the same time continue military operations against Ukraine? Moscow found an "original" way - to play oblivious and deny everything.

Plenty of arguments, reasoning, and evidence can be found to prove that there had been not a single military warehouse or military unit with heavy weapons in the occupied parts of Donbas before the invasion. And even if the militants got something as trophies, then no military education is required to understand that military operations of such intensity cannot be conducted for three consecutive years without unlimited external supplies.

One should not fool themselves into thinking that Russians do not understand what the origin is of the weapons and "little green men" in Donbas. Everybody knows everything. But the Russian public will remain silent about this until Putin publicly recognizes the fact we all are already aware of

Meanwhile, speaking at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Russian diplomats claim that "tractor drivers and miners" discovered the weapons in the old Soviet coal mines. How absurd and infantile is that? One can at least think for a moment, who – and when - could possibly hide in these mines the weapons that are far more modern than the Soviet-era types. In fact, to reinforce their "flawless" evidence, the Russians could as well claim that the weapons were given by Allah, or Jesus, or they just fell down from the sky upon them. And then they could demand from the doubters to provide evidence that Russia was wrong in its assertions...

One should not fool themselves into thinking that Russians do not understand what the origin is of the weapons and "little green men" in Donbas. Everybody knows everything. But the Russian public will remain silent about this until Putin publicly recognizes the fact we all are already aware of. And here comes the most interesting part: the majority supports any initiatives put forward by Putin, including the war against Ukraine. Although, over time, there is less understanding of what the purpose of this war is.

Russian media are covering really poorly the ICJ hearings of UA vs RU case, although, it would seem, if the charges against Russia are trumped up, why not build up a bright media campaign around this fact? But no, they just keep talking about the blockade, while some talking heads suggest creating a coalition of countries that have territorial claims to Ukraine. In fact, the Kremlin is trying not to notice The Hague, as it once tried in regards to the JIT MH17 investigation. Russia keeps exploiting the old formula: "there is no evidence" and "the West does not like us", claiming that the ruling will be "wrong and biased." Moreover, Russia has long secured itself by declaring that no decisions of international bodies are binding for Moscow.

Roman Tsymbaliuk, Moscow