🇺🇦Ukraine - 6 months of Terror and WAR🇷🇺

While this may have all started on 20 February 2014, or in 1918, the 1920's, 1930's or 1940's, or the 1700's or earlier, or whatever you prefer to believe, it has now certainly been SIX MONTHS (182 days) since 24 February 2022, when FurAffinity suddenly got a hail/hurricane/whirlwind (🇷🇺Град/Ураган/Смерч) of new Journals (and more than a few artworks) saying "OMG we're being bombed", and the 6-month-old so-called 🇷🇺"Special Military Operation" (🇺🇦aka: conquest, invasion, war, war of aggression, attempted destruction of an independent sovereign Ukrainian state) is still going on and I am still writing one of these "War Journals" on the 24th of every month.

As I have done for the last few months, here are some links to help highlight the victims of this SIX month (or eight and a half year, if you prefer) brutal war of aggression and terror and what you can do to help them.

Some of things you can do are free and VERY easy, like just Watching someone or giving them a nice Comment or a "signal boost"!

NOTEWORTHY needs (circa 24 August):

Front-line and second-line regions:
-- Donbas: AbyssalSirenART , kiyomipie , ShinigamiTF , ToriSan , LostDanver , StasyKi , ghost738589 , ... just go look here
-- South: Karintina , AlexandraDane , ~RIZONIK~ , Toshik22 , DxM8 , Felixlox , Indoor-HundMW , ... just go look here
-- East & Northeast: AnnoyingSOAP , Remontadora , Rogatich , softLesbean , Castycom , F43filipp , groodger , ugh_del , Vizelius , YunnyLynx
Safer regions:
-- Central & Western job problems: Dogava , LiaItsuki , RemJ , LiS7x , INGVAS
-- Kyiv job problems: LittlePudel , Lucky_Lantern , April_Ryan , Aria_Lenin , kunYKA , andr0meda
-- Out of country: Varness-Crowe , michi-nii , xicel , --The_Kraken-- , ashwoodoff

New for this month, I am specifically including a list of Ukrainians who are currently requesting assistance/support for their friends or family who are directly involved in efforts to resist foreign aggression (circa 24 August):
-- LesterShmester , https://www.furaffinity.net/view/48422536/ , AV_Malina , https://www.furaffinity.net/view/47004832/

REGIONAL FOCUS journals:

Links to the six Ukraine regional focus Journals:
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10264842/ -- Kyiv region Ukraine artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10246683/ -- NE & East-Center Ukraine artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10225029/ -- Kharkiv/Kharkov region artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10203165/ -- Donbas/Donbass region artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10230885/ -- Southern Ukraine region artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10255501/ -- Central & Western Ukraine artists, furries, and stories on FurAffinity
_{Tell me if you want to be listed in one of them or want the text on your line changed.}

 PistachioHorror's BIG JOURNAL (with a list of Ukrainian artists in need):
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10138995/ -- irregularly updated list of artists/furries from 🇺🇦Ukraine🇺🇦 that need help or support*
_{* a 'signal boost' for those in need or offering some warm words of support would be nice (that is easy and free)}

One easy thing you can do to help is to "signal boost" for Ukrainian artists. Either for the 'big Journal' or the 'regional focus' Journals (see the list of 6 above or at the top of any of them, like here) or for specific individuals, like this effort.


Some searches:
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/.....aine|Ukrainian <-- general search for Ukraine or Ukrainian things
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/.....krainianartist <-- similar keyword search
https://www.furaffinity.net/search/.....iv|Volyn|Rivne <-- big search (includes lots of Ukrainian oblast and city names).
_{[I use these myself, to find new art and artists.]}

News articles:
On Ukraine’s Independence Day, UN urges end to ‘senseless’ war -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the people of Ukraine ‘need peace’ as the conflict enters its seventh month. [by Al Jazeera, 24 Aug 2022]
Six months of war in Ukraine: Five key military takeaways -- Russia’s military ineptitude, Ukraine’s energetic defence, HIMARS, and now – the focus on the south. [by Al Jazeera, 24 Aug 2022]
Al Jazeera news, main page for their Russia-Ukraine war news
Associated Press news, main page for their Russia-Ukraine war news
The Moscow Times, main page for their Ukraine war news <-- an independent news source, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moscow_Times
6 Months of War in Ukraine - Economics, Endurance & the Energy War -- nice YouTube presentation by analyst Perun
In this video explainer, "Guardian correspondent Luke Harding chronicles the key historical events that led to the invasion of Ukraine, from the Euromaidan protests to the annexation of Crimea, and explains why Vladimir Putin’s belief that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people” is rooted in history from a thousand years ago." <-- a nice little summary of the western viewpoint of Putin's war on Ukraine

War status:
_{By 24 August 2022, the most significant change in the last month seems to be that both Crimea and the largest nuclear power plant in Europe have become less 'safe' and the bridges over the Dniper river near Kherson have been damaged enough to be unusable by military convoys and heavy armored fighting vehicles. The front line still extends ~2,450 kilometers (1,522 miles) from the city of Kharkiv in the northeast to the city of Mykolaiv in the south and has been changing only very slowly, with Russia losing a bit of ground at the southern end of the line (near Mykolaiv/Kherson) and gaining a bit in the middle near Siversk, Bakhmut and the outskits of Donetsk city. Here is a list of villages, towns and cities near the 'front line' fighting (which has not changed much in a month): Kharkiv (Udy, Ruski Tyshki, and Ternova are a few village/town names); Vovchans'k [Russian-held town 60km NE of Kharkiv, on the E bank of the Siverskyi-Donets River and on a major Russian controlled transportation/logistics route]; Izyum [Russian held, the forward headquarters of its operations to conquer Donbas]; Barvinkove, Slovyansk, Siversk, and Bakhmut [all still held by the UA]; Horlivka [DPR controlled since 2014]; Toretsk & New York [UA controlled towns just a couple kilometers from Horlivka]; Donetsk [DPR controlled since 2014]; Huliaipole [UA]; Polohy [Russian-controlled]; Zaporizhzhia [UA, safe(ish)]; Nikopol' [UA, has been getting hit by shells/rockets for the last month]; Kyrvyi Rih [UA, safe(ish)], Mykolaiv [UA, has been hit with Russian missiles every day for weeks during July & August with many recent attacks reportedly using S-300 anti-air missiles], Odesa [UA, not under direct attack while Mykolaiv stands strong, but still gets regularly hit by Russian missiles including cold-war era anti-ship missiles because the Russian military is apparently running out of precision land-attack cruise missiles -- maybe in another 2 months they will be firing spit-wads at it]. The entire Crimea peninsula (which Russia took from Ukraine by force in 2014 and annexed) now seems to be more involved in the active war, with events there beginning in earnest on 9 August with an accident/event/strike on the Saki air base where 7-12 jets attached to Russia's Black Sea Fleet were damaged/destroyed.}

The assessment/opinion of the ISW (a US-based think tank often quoted by western media) for months now is that the Russian offensive is almost out of steam/gas/energy/momentum*:
^{*(pick your word, the military technical term is 'culminate')}
28 May: "When the Battle of Severodonetsk ends, regardless of which side holds the city, the Russian offensive at the operational and strategic levels will likely have culminated, giving Ukraine the chance to restart its operational-level counteroffensives to push Russian forces back." - from the May 28 ISW report
20 July: "The current Russian offensive may secure limited additional territorial gains in Donbas northeast of the E40 highway but will likely culminate before seizing major populated areas such as Slovyansk or Bakhmut." - from the July 20 ISW report
Followup comments:
21 July: "The lack of successful ground attacks beyond the Slovyansk, Siversk, and Bakhmut areas is consistent with ISW’s assessment that the Russian offensive is likely to culminate without capturing Slovyansk or Bakhmut." - from July 21 ISW report
21 August: "Russian forces’ momentum from territorial gains around Bakhmut and Avdiivka in late July is likely exhausted, and Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine are likely culminating although very small Russian advances will likely continue." from August 21 ISW report --alternate quote from that report: "Russian offensive operations in eastern Ukraine have likely exhausted the limited momentum they gained at the end of July and are likely culminating." --another interesting quote: "Russian forces are likely not training new recruits in discipline, creating an entitled force engaging in disorderly conduct in Russia and illegal conduct in Ukraine."

_{"The latest intelligence update from the U.K. defense ministry said that on Aug. 24, 2022, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that Russia was deliberately slowing the pace of its military campaign in Ukraine, driven by the need to reduce civilian casualties. This is almost certainly deliberate misinformation, the update said. Russia’s offensive has stalled because of poor Russian military performance and fierce Ukrainian resistance, the update said. Under Shoigu’s orders, the forces operating in Ukraine have repeatedly missed planned operational timelines, the update said." -- from VoA here and the UK MoD twitter account here}

The grinding Russian offensive in the Donbass seems to have nearly stalled/culminated with Russia transferring troops to the South (Kherson region) to attempt to prevent a Ukrainian counteroffensive from retaking the west (right) bank of the Dnipro and the Russian/DPR/LPR/mercenary forces remaining in the Donbass eking out tiny gains at a high cost in lives, injuries and equipment. At this point it is uncertain when the tempo of the war will wind down with Russia possibly considering making some more "gestures of goodwill" (like ending their northern offensive on Kyiv in early April or evacuating their troops from Snake Island on June 30), perhaps withdrawing from the territory west of the Dnipro river or even Kherson or withdrawing military equipment and troops from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and the chances of a Russian soldier eventually returning home alive and healthy will thus be improving. Or perhaps Russia will start mass conscription to generate fresh combat power with the intent to crush all Ukrainian resistance east of the Dnipro. Only time will tell, I certainly have no special insight into when/how/if this war "Special Military Operation" will end. However, given the reputation that the Russian military has gotten for brutality and attacks on civilian targets and infrastructure over the last six months it is difficult for me to envision how the Kremlin would achieve one of its stated objectives of the "Operation", which is getting the Ukrainian people and government to agree to disarmament and "de-militarization" since doing that seems like an invitation to a future attack.

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Several FA artists have already produced art for 24 August 2022 for the 6 month anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the celebration of Independence Day of Ukraine🇺🇦 (24 August), here are some I have seen:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/48702142/ -- Independence of Ukraine By Karintina,
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/48701461/ -- Today is Ukraine's Independence Day! 🇺🇦 By margarisher,
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/48706544/ -- з Днем Незалежності By Jagal, [translation: happy Independence Day]
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/48698677/ -- Ukrainian Artist Collab for Independence Day!💙💛 By AV_Malina, (and other copies) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17


I wanted to do something special for this Journal, so if any Ukrainian artists have an idea for an artwork that is appropriate for the Independence Day of Ukraine🇺🇦 holiday please post a Comment and I'll see if I can commission you to draw it. -- 💙С ДНЕМ НЕЗАЛЕЖНОСТІ💛 --

Also, if any Ukrainian artist wants their 'sona to appear as slot #2 or #3 in https://www.furaffinity.net/view/48478700/ just make a comment and I will pay for it (you need to make a comment on that artwork, indicating which slot you want).

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