More and more resistance is forming in the areas occupied by Russia in the Ukraine war. The number of activities organized from underground is increasing.
the essentials in brief
- The Ukrainian underground resistance is getting better organized.
- Such partisan activities against the Russian occupiers have increased recently.
- An expert speaks of the emergence of a “Ukrainian guerrilla movement”.
The Ukraine war is not only fought between the two armies. Again and again there are armed attacks by Ukrainian resistance fighters in the areas occupied by Russia. And as the “Guardian” reports, there are always more.
The British newspaper writes: The south of the country is particularly affected by the underground attacks. For example, the office of a pro-Russian politician in the city of Melitopol was attacked last week.
Already at the beginning of the large-scale invasion in February, Russia warned of the danger of such activities. There could be such attacks in any occupied territory, it said.
“Guerilla movement” as “Putin’s nightmare” in the Ukraine war
According to the Guardian, however, the issue is one of the most complicated in the entire Ukraine war. One reason, according to the newspaper, is that both sides have an interest in exaggerating. Russia can use it to justify certain military strikes. Ukraine hopes to demoralize Moscow’s troops.
Another open question is what role the Ukrainian army will play. On the one hand, the underground groups could be sabotage groups from Kyiv. On the other hand, there could also be movements that arose in the occupied territories themselves.
One expert closely monitoring the situation is Rutgers University historian Alexander Motyl. In an article on the 1945 page, he writes: “A Ukrainian guerrilla movement has emerged.” In this context he speaks of “Putin’s nightmare”.
The «Ghost of Kyiv» and poisoned food
This includes different types of resistance, according to Motyl. For example, the Ukrainians carry out acts of sabotage or assassinations and deliberately spread propaganda.
Motyl bases its analysis on data from Ukrainian sites. He says that some of the data may be incomplete or difficult to interpret. Nevertheless, the number of guerrilla activities is “impressive”. According to Motyl, there is a trend towards increasing partisan activities.
In recent months, there have been a number of rumors about spectacular resistance actions by the Ukrainians. This includes the “Ghost of Kyiv” revealed to be a fiction, which is said to have shot down Russian planes. Other stories, such as that poisoned cakes were served to the Russian soldiers, are difficult to verify.
Do you think Ukrainian resistance against Russia will be successful?
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