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Risky actions of Ukraines secretive grassroots Yellow Ribbon movement recalled in Brussels exhibition

Wed 19 Apr 2023 07.27 EDT

One night last June, Liliya Aleksandrova slipped out of her home in occupied Kherson with some bright paints and a dangerous idea. She went to a grocery shop in her neighbourhood, a business that she knew was frequented by Russian soldiers who had invaded the city months before. Kherson is Ukraine, she wrote on a metal fence near the shop. Then she added a golden swirl of paint a yellow ribbon, the symbol of Ukraines resistance movement in the Russian-occupied territories.

For sure it was scary, but she asked God to help her, recounts an interpreter, who was summarising Aleksandrovas account to the Guardian.

At the time of her midsummer protest, the Russians were everywhere. People could be searched at checkpoints, sometimes forced to undress. Some simply disappeared. But Aleksandrova thought the risk was worth it. It was her idea to show she doesnt accept ruscism. She doesnt accept Russia being on this land, said the interpreter, using the compound of Russian and fascism widely used in Ukraine to describe the occupying forces. Aleksandrova, speaking from Kherson over a fuzzy Zoom screen, held aloft a picture of her grandfather, who fought in the second world war. He also did not accept the occupiers at that time, the interpreter added.

Aleksandrova could speak openly of her numerous acts of protest because Kherson was freed by Ukrainian forces in November after more than eight months of Russian occupation. After the liberation, Ukrainian investigators discovered alleged torture rooms where dozens of men were said to have been beaten, given electric shocks and sometimes killed. There were moments when she felt real fear because Russians were going by in their cars, they were going by in the streets and there was a constant threat of being noticed, of being exposed, the interpreter said.

Now the fence panel she graffitied has gone to Brussels, where it was one of the main objects at a two-day exhibition last week dedicated to the Yellow Ribbon resistance, an independent, non-violent grassroots movement.

Organised by the Yellow Ribbon movement with support from a Ukrainian NGO and PR firm, the exhibition took place outside the European parliament, with the aim of showing European decision-makers the reality of life under Russian occupation.

The green fence panel is battered and pock-marked by bullets traces of Russian attacks, Alexandrova said. She wanted this to be also a memory and a symbol of how Russians were destroying Kherson, her interpreter said.

According to Ukraines government, more than 100,000 sq km (38,600 sq miles) of the country are under occupation by Russia. That is 1,877 cities, towns and villages. Unfortunately, this number often remains abstract to foreigners, said Ukraines ambassador to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov. Thousands of brave people are fighting against the huge ideological bubble in which Russian propaganda is investing millions.

One person is Ivan, a co-founder of the Yellow Ribbon movement, who lives in occupied Melitopol. Russia tries to create an informational vacuum where they are telling you that there is no Ukraine, Ukraine left you, your city is Russian, Russia is here forever, he said. Ivan is not his real name and he wore a mask throughout the conversation which partly obscured his face.

Acts of resistance, such as painting a yellow ribbon on a fence, show that Ukraine is still independent, it will liberate you sometime soon please do not take a Russian passport, he said.

The movement started in Kherson, the first big city to fall under Russian occupation. Pro-Ukraine demonstrations sprung up immediately. But on 27 April 2022, when about 500 people gathered to protest, Russian troops used teargas and stun grenades to break up the peaceful demonstration. Activists, such as Aleksandrova, were undeterred, but realised their protest would have to go underground.

To show resistance, they tied yellow ribbons to fences, or projected the initials of the Armed Forces of Ukraine () on to public buildings used by Russian forces or pro-Russian administrators. They put up posters with QR codes informing people how to avoid getting a Russian passport and avert sending their children to schools controlled by the Russian state.

The movement spread to other occupied territories. The Ukrainian letter which does not feature in the Russian alphabet and is essential for the Ukrainian spelling of Ukraine appeared on posters, walls and fences. When local authorities sought to ban the sale of blue and yellow paint, activists resorted to tearing up scraps of old clothes to make yellow ribbons. More recently activists have turned the Russian Z symbol into an hourglass in Ukrainian colours. The message is simple: Russias time on Ukraines territory is running out.

The Yellow Ribbon movement claims that 8,000 people in the occupied territories are using its chatbot, which sends out instructions on different protests. People are asked to upload photos and videos of their actions, so organisers know they are active. The chatbot is intended to preserve everyones anonymity.

Sometimes it is hard to trust because you know anyone could just tell the Russians you are a local partisan and it would be really hard for your family, Ivan said.

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It was scary: acts of resistance in Russian-occupied Kherson - The Guardian

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We will continue to stand with our Ukrainian partners in response to of Russias continued war of aggression.

Pursuant to a delegation of authority from President Biden, I am authorizing our 36th drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine valued at $325 million. This security assistance package includes more ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS and artillery rounds, as well as anti-armor systems, small arms, logistics support vehicles, and maintenance support essential to strengthening Ukraines defenders on the battlefield. This new security assistance will enable Ukraine to continue to bravely defend itself in the face of Russias brutal, unprovoked and unjustified war.

Russia could end its war today. Until Russia does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Link:
Additional U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine - United States ... - Department of State

The first 24 hours of Ukraines much anticipated counteroffensive may be the longest day for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel said to an aide before the expected Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944: The first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive. For the Allies, as well as Germany, it will be the longest daya statement immortalized by the blockbuster Hollywood film about the Normandy landings, The Longest Day. Rommel knew that the initial phase of an attack often shapes the character of the subsequent fight, decides victory or defeat, and determines the strategic impact of an offensive.

The first 24 hours of Ukraines much anticipated counteroffensive may be the longest day for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel said to an aide before the expected Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944: The first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive. For the Allies, as well as Germany, it will be the longest daya statement immortalized by the blockbuster Hollywood film about the Normandy landings, The Longest Day. Rommel knew that the initial phase of an attack often shapes the character of the subsequent fight, decides victory or defeat, and determines the strategic impact of an offensive.

Most of the speculation and debate is about when and where Ukrainian forces will strike, how big an attacking force Ukraine has assembled, and how much of an impact newly supplied Western weapons will have. Its unlikely that anyone outside Ukraines high command knows whether Ukraine now has a decisive advantage in firepower, munitions, troop numbers, and battlefield logistics. What we do know is that in recent months, the war has increasingly been defined by attritionneither side appears to have a decisive advantage, and each is trying to wear the other down. Whatever happens on Ukraines D-Day, it will not be easy for Ukrainian forces to avoid the wars character as one of attrition, even if they are large, well-prepared, and well-equipped.

There is perhaps only one way for Ukraine to escape the scourge of attrition in the opening hours of the upcoming offensive: set off paralysis in the Russian military leadership and panic across the Russian rank and file. Ukraines greatest chance of success will come if Russian soldiers skedaddle from advancing Ukrainian forces without putting up much of a fight. Even if the correlation of forces were advantageous for Ukraine, that alone would not be sufficient to attain these effects. Rather, intangible factors such as tactical surprise, battlefield leadership, and fighting morale will likely be decisive in the first 24 hours of an attack. These intangible factorsnot weapons alonewill help define whether the Ukrainians succeed in panicking the Russians, paralyzing the Russian military leadership, and causing a temporary breakdown of command and control. In this scenario, Ukrainian armored columns punch through layered Russian defenses, quickly advance into the Russian rear, and threaten command and control nodes like military headquarters and supply centers, compounding the panic and paralysis.

This kind of breakdown on the Russian side is exactly what took place during Ukraines lightning counteroffensive in September 2022 in Kharkiv oblast. The Ukrainians had set the conditions for the attack with a campaign of artillery attacks. Then, even though the Russians had observed the Ukrainian buildup, the attackers achieved tactical surprise, committed superior numbers, caused temporary panic, and set off a breakdown in Russian command and control. All of this delayed the speedy dispatch of Russian reserves that might have steadied the front line. As a result, Ukraine liberated more than 6,000 square kilometers of Russian-occupied territory in 10 days. The first 24 hours of that offensive were decisive, as the initial Ukrainian advance and exploitation of the breach in the front line triggered chaos and panic on the Russian side. In the upcoming spring offensive, Ukraine will likely attempt to replicate the Kharkiv offensives lightning character.

Achieving tactical surprise in the opening hours of the offensive will be crucial, since it increases the chance of local fire superiority and an advantageous correlation of forces, at least for a short period of time. This does not require Ukraines assembling of forces to remain secretan unlikely proposition in any case, given satellite imagery as well as cheap and pervasive drones on the battlefield. Rather, to stretch out Russian forces and prevent a concentration of defenders, Ukraine will need to leave Russia in the dark about where and when those assembled forces will strike. At the same time, Ukraine will need to make sure that the location chosen for the breakthrough attempt can be quickly expanded to enable deep penetrationfor example, by swiftly seizing important roads, intersections, or railroad junctions.

Of course, Russian defenses will need to be overcome first. A Ukrainian intelligence analyst shared a detailed description of echeloned Russian defenses in the south of the country: a formidable network of minefields, pyramid-shaped concrete blocks known as dragons teeth, anti-tank ditches, dugouts, and trenches. Whats more, since the defeat in Kharkiv and retreat from Kherson, Russia has now deployed a greater number of troops along a significantly shorter front line.

It will be very difficult for Ukraine to achieve sufficient fire superiority to quickly destroy these layered defenses, and it will be similarly hard to concentrate enough troops to quickly seize Russian positions. (A successful offensive usually requires the attacker to substantially outnumber the defender.) Gaining momentum under heavy Russian fire will be especially difficult given the need to overcome the layered defenses: Clearing a lane of land mines for tanks and other vehicles to traverse, clearing the dragons teeth, and breaching the ditches all require specialized equipment and skills. The more likely avenue to success is for the Ukrainians to force the Russians to abandon their defensive positions without much of a fightperhaps by triggering a panic that their positions got flanked and are now in danger of being cut off and encircled. That might be accomplished by finding a spot in Russian defenses where the layers are weaker, significantly attriting Russian forces with localized and temporary fire superiority, and advancing into the defenders rear. This may be the only realistic option for Ukrainians to achieve a quick and deep strategic breakthrough.

In this initial phase, tactical leadership will be crucial, especially the ability to make and execute decisions at lower command levels to exploit various opportunities on the battlefield. Every military operation is, in one way or another, organized chaos. This is even truer for attackers: Units may take the wrong turn, coordination may be difficult because of enemy jamming of communications, and even precisely determining the enemys whereabouts is a lot harder while on the move. Solid tactical leadership is crucial for overcoming, or at least mitigating, the friction inherent to war.

Leadership on the battlefield is also crucial because it has a direct impact on fighting morale. Soldiers who dont trust their military leaders because the latter seem overwhelmed by the friction of warfighting will quickly see their morale evaporate. If that happens, it is among the Ukrainians that panic could break out in the opening phase of the offensive. Junior tactical leaders will have to spot weaknesses in the Russian defenses and quickly exploit these by pushing as many armored formations as possible through that particular spot to get into the Russian rear. This requires taking huge risksfor example, by temporarily operating outside the air defense umbrellaand consequently demands highly motivated troops. Whoever has the upper hand in tactical leadership and morale at the onset of the attack will be less likely to panic and more likely to have a tactical advantage likely lasting beyond the first 24 hours.

Beyond tactical surprise, leadership, and morale, there is another factor that will determine the success of the counteroffensive: To what degree will the Russian side be able to quickly mobilize its operational reserve? This, too, will largely be determined in the first 24 hours. If a general panic clogs roads with retreating Russian forces, mobile reserves held in the rear will have a tough time reaching the front line at the point of breakthroughif these Russian reserves are available at all.

The first 24 hours of the upcoming spring offensive may indeed be the longest day for Ukraine. In the long run, Ukraines armed forces will have a tough time escaping the crucible of attrition of this artillery-focused land war. The Ukrainians could achieve tactical success if they are able to cause paralysis in the Russian military leadership and panic among troops, triggering a rout in the opening phase of the counteroffensive. Whether this will be sufficient for Ukraine to achieve long-term strategic gainslet alone win the waris another question entirely.

Link:
The First 24 Hours of the Counteroffensive Will Be Ukraine's Longest ... - Foreign Policy

DUBLIN, April 19 (Reuters) - Ryanair (RYA.I) expects to start flying in Ukraine within two weeks when fighting eventually ends and plans to become the country's largest airline, Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said on Wednesday.

O'Leary, whose airline is Europe's largest by passenger numbers, said he had hired around 60 Ukrainian pilots and around 80 cabin crew and his aim was to fly 30 routes from four Ukrainian airports back into the European Union within weeks of the conflict ending.

The airline would then plan to open up three or four large bases in the country within 6-12 months. He said he had no insight into when the conflict, triggered by Russia's invasion in February last year, might end.

"We would be back in there hopefully within two weeks after someone tells us it's safe to fly back into Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa. Kherson will be a lot longer because the airport has been destroyed," O'Leary told the Bloomberg New Economy Gateway conference near Dublin. "We will be Ukraine's biggest airline."

Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Continued here:
Ryanair vows to return to Ukraine within weeks of conflict ending - Reuters

KYIV, April 19 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy inspected the frontier with Belarus and Poland on Wednesday, and thanked border guards for their defence of the country since Russia's invasion.

The president posted video footage on the Telegram messaging app that showed him meeting border guards in woodland with barbed-wire fencing beside a river in the Volyn region of northwestern Ukraine.

"It is an honour for me to be here today to thank our border guards for protecting the state border," Zelenskiy wrote under the footage, which also showed him addressing the border guards and handing out awards.

"For the protection of our state in Bakhmut. I know how firmly you stood there, holding Bakhmut," he said, referring to the eastern Ukrainian city where fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces has been intense for months.

[1/4]Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits the border with Belarus, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Volyn region, Ukraine April 19, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

Zelenskiy said after discussing border protection measures at a meeting in January that Ukraine must "be ready" at the frontier with Belarus even though Kyiv did not see "anything powerful" there apart from statements.

Russia used Belarus as a launchpad for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, and President Vladimir Putin said last month that Russia would station tactical nuclear weapons on its close ally's territory.

In a separate post on Wednesday, Zelenskiy said he had discussed security and socio-economic issues with political and military leaders in the Volyn region.

Zelenskiy has travelled widely in recent weeks. On Tuesday he met troops in the eastern city of Avdiivka, where fighting has also been fierce as Ukraine prepares for an expected counteroffensive to try to win back Russian-occupied territory.

Reporting by Dan Peleschuk, Editing by Timothy Heritage

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Ukraine's Zelenskiy visits border with Belarus and Poland - Reuters