timkmak

timkmak , 8 days ago to random

Good morning to readers; #Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

The gray zone is a two km passageway in NE Ukraine, the only way refugees can cross from #Russia into #Ukraine.

At 17, Sofia had to leave her mother behind for a perilous journey from occupied territory into free Ukraine.

They call it the gray zone.

Two kilometers of road that is contested by both Russian and Ukrainian forces, and controlled by neither.

timkmak OP , 8 days ago

Shelling often starts as people walk through this area, the explosions adding to an already terrifying experience.

But since April 2022, 30,000 civilians have walked this precarious path from Russia into Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy district, around 100 miles north of Kharkiv.

One of them is Sofia*, who recently returned to Ukraine through the checkpoint on foot – the only way that’s permitted.

timkmak OP , 8 days ago

“I left the occupation, but it never left my head,” Sofia said.

On February 24, 2022, Sofia left #Kherson, in the south of #Ukraine. Large columns of Russians were already on the city's outskirts.

Sofia headed for her mother's home village on the left bank of the region, planning to meet her mom and decide where to go together.

Before they could plan what to do next, Kherson Oblast was taken.

But at least Sofia was not alone.

timkmak OP , 8 days ago

Her mom was there, and the two of them ultimately decided not to risk leaving the now occupied territories.

In the summer of 2023, pressure on Ukrainians in occupied territories grew.

Enemy soldiers began forcing Sofia’s family to take a Russian passport, and began searching for her home address.

Sofia’s mother, who did not want to leave their home, decided that if she could not escape the occupation, she needed to at least give that chance to her daughter.

timkmak OP , 8 days ago

She had to leave. The only way was to find the Kolotylivka-Pokrovk passageway – and cross the ‘gray zone.’

But the crossing was hundreds of miles away, through treacherous territory occupied by #Russia.

There are two ways to get to the crossing point: on one's own by public transportation, or with the help of private drivers who bring Ukrainians out of the occupied territories.

timkmak OP , 8 days ago

The first option is much cheaper, but more difficult and dangerous.

And the second is too expensive for many Ukrainians.

Sofia was wary of the risks and contacted a private transport company for help.

But she lived in a small village, the driver did not want to go there.

The way to the checkpoint in the Sumy region was dangerous: it goes through the so-called ‘Donetsk People's Republic’ (DPR) and Russia.

timkmak OP , 8 days ago

At the border with the so-called DPR, Sofia and her elderly fellow travelers were forced to name the city in Russia where they were going, and the contacts of the person with whom they were going to live.

But none of the passengers planned to stay in #Russia. They wanted to return to #Ukraine.

“I wrote something vague and helped all the old ladies. Some of them could only write in Ukrainian,” Sofia remembered.

timkmak , 9 days ago to random

Here's what we are reading:

Despite the ability to strike further inside #Russia, #Ukraine is still unable to hit important Russian airfields due to restrictions.

The U.S has given the green light to strike up to 62 miles from the border, but many airbases lay further inland.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/06/21/ukraine-firing-range-us-weapons-russia/

timkmak OP , 9 days ago

Nigel Farage has come under criticism for saying that NATO and the EU “provoked” Putin into a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The UK Home Secretary said echoing Putin’s “vile justification” should make anyone unfit for office.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/jun/22/nigel-farage-wallace-ukraine-war-comments-putin-uk-general-election-updates

timkmak , 10 days ago to random

Ukrainian app gives me an alert 30 min before power goes out, which allows me to quick cook dinner before it’s too late

Having a hard time imagining other cities in the world having this level of digital sophistication during a wartime energy crisis

timkmak OP , 10 days ago

What really gets you thinking is the sort of productive, innovative stuff this country could be churning out if there was no invasion at all

timkmak , 10 days ago to random

Here’s what we are reading today:

The US gave #Kyiv the green light to strike anywhere across the border where Russian forces strike #Ukraine from, Politico reports.

Previously, the United States limited the use of American-supplied weapons within the Kharkiv region.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/20/us-says-ukraine-can-hit-inside-russia-anywhere-00164261

timkmak OP , 10 days ago

#US will redirect newly made Patriot air defense systems and missiles that were ordered by other countries to #Ukraine, FT reported.

This will help Ukraine protect its cities and critical infrastructure.

https://www.ft.com/content/89fe9d6b-3a0f-42a5-af50-cff7f457a126

timkmak OP , 10 days ago

Here's what Mariana is listening to today:

Листівки - Electrobirds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb44nQLICtU

timkmak OP , 10 days ago

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timkmak , 11 days ago to random

We at The Counteroffensive have been super loyal to Mastodon over the past year, becoming one of the most frequent posters on #Ukraine news and original reporting.

Now we need your help -- This is the graph that keeps me up at night.

It represents The Counteroffensive’s projected revenue for the year. I’ve taken out the numbers, but the shape tells you the story -- we've taken a hit.

timkmak OP , 11 days ago

The power is out. Again. I tried to stop into a corner store earlier this week, and the mood was cataclysmic: all the refrigerated food is going to spoil.

The Ukrainian power system is in crisis mode: it’s summer, and already an epic catastrophe: businesses are going to fail, people are going to lose their jobs. The winter, when it dips well below freezing, promises to be significantly worse.

We are not going to stop.

We are not leaving.

We’re going to keep doing our #reporting.

timkmak OP , 11 days ago

But here’s what we need to continue: battery power stations that can keep the lights on and the wifi working.

As you can imagine, during a period of war, they are quite expensive: $2,500 — if you can find them in the inventory.

timkmak OP , 11 days ago

Here are four ways you can help us now, if you value our presence on Mastodon and our reporting:

1. Boost/RT this message
2. Sign up, free, for our reporting at www.counteroffensive.newsive.news
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4. Contribute to our tip jar so we can buy this battery and keep reporting: https://donate.stripe.com/fZe29k5II6HNbE4dQQ

timkmak , 1 month ago to random

Here's what we are reading today:

#European allies push the #us to allow Ukr to use U.S. made weapons to strike Rus.

Yesterday, #Macron and #Scholz said they supported #Ukraine using weapons given by allies to strike Russian bases launching missiles, but not allow other strikes on #russia

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/29/ukraine-war-briefing-macron-scholz-agree-kyiv-should-use-allies-weapons-against-launchers-in-russia

timkmak OP , 1 month ago

Supporting our team’s reporting is as easy as one click (did we mention it’s also free?)

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