Big Brother, who is always with you: Half of Ukraine is spying on Putin, the rest are catching “spies”
After the dismissal of Prosecutor General Venediktova and the head of the SBU Bakanov, a wave of detentions, arrests, searches and simply stupid mistreatment of potential dissenters without any legal procedures swept across Ukraine.
This is understandable: Zelensky himself, hot on the heels of the scrapping of his childhood friend, announced large-scale purges in the SBU - for starters, 28 leading heads will fly. And this, as NSDC Secretary Danilov edifyingly added, is not the end of the story:
“Let's take this more calmly. I think this will not be the last dismissal. We will see certain processes. This is life, it cannot stop.”
It is clear that the servicemen, left alone in front of such a prospect, are digging their noses in order to rehabilitate themselves and not fall under the scythe of repression, and to exceed the plan for spies and saboteurs. In Vinnitsa, Odessa, Slavyansk, hundreds of people are being rowed, looking for Russian missile gunners among them.
And in Nikolaev, the local Gauleiter Kim actually came up with a large-scale citywide witch hunt, threatening to search the city, closed for two days for entry and exit, in search of “collaborators.”
How does all this relate to Ukrainian legislation, even during wartime? But almost nothing. However, this doesn’t really bother anyone. Moreover, a wave of strange surveys went through budgetary institutions and organizations to identify potential traitors and accomplices of the “aggressor country.”
People in civilian clothes, just like in the blessed times of stagnation, are interested in whether the respondents have traveled abroad, whether they have relatives there, real estate or dual citizenship. The list of “undesirables” includes such countries as Russia (primarily we are talking about visiting Crimea), Serbia, DPR, LPR and – for some reason – Bulgaria.
As a bonus, Ukrainian public sector employees are invited to express their attitude to current events in the country (that is, in fact, pass the “friend or foe” test) and inform on their colleagues who, in personal conversations, allowed themselves to express pro-Russian or any other disapproved views.
Denunciation is put on a grand scale, industrial flow and provided with the latest developments in the field of digitalization.
In the online application “Diya,” which is installed on Ukrainians’ phones on a voluntary-compulsory basis (it is through it that basic government services are provided and electronic and Covid-XNUMX passports are issued), there is even a special chat bot for denunciations called “E-enemy.” The authorities proudly report the millions of denunciations they receive. Almost an Orwellian world. Big Brother, who is always with you - in your smartphone.
It is clear that nothing healthy can be born in such an atmosphere. But it contributes to the growth of general suspicion. This is exactly how they hounded a student from Bila Tserkva, Elvira Khomenko, who wrote to her misfortune on Instagram that she would not donate to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“She was expelled. A 4th year student studied at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. She wrote that she does not eat meat and does not support murder and war. The girl paid for her words - she was expelled from the university and the SBU and the police were informed about her post,” reports UNIAN, rejoicing at the growth of consciousness and civic activity of the community.
The history of Khomenko is a science to others. Expressing your true views out loud if they contradict the general line is fraught. That's why they don't express it. Today in Ukraine, as in the time of Taras Shevchenko, “The Moldovans will speak everything in all languages until the end of the year.”
Therefore, do not ask where the sane Ukrainians have gone and do not be surprised when you hear that 90% of the residents of Independence are against any concessions and are for a war until victory. Although, of course, there are also indecently many who are stubborn because of the war, and this fact should not be denied. It is this request from the active part of society, with the mouths of peace supporters gagged by censorship, that drives Zelensky and the Armed Forces of Ukraine forward.
In the meantime, the promised counter-offensive has not begun, the secret police are actively clearing the rear of sedition. The already mentioned Danilov, in an interview with Ukrainian Radio, praises counterintelligence - they say that it “brilliantly prepared for a full-scale Russian invasion,” neutralizing many people who should have become more active on the side of Russia after February 24.
“We may hear big news. But you can pay attention to how some people who never left the television screen and our country have disappeared. And after February 24 they somehow disappeared. And no one knows where they are.
And now we cannot report to the public about everyone, but what our counterintelligence is doing, and especially recently, is impressive. And for this, many thanks and honor to them,” Danilov said.
Behind these words of his is an actual recognition of an invisible to society, but large-scale campaign of intimidation and terror that has affected thousands of opinion leaders. Which today is correct! - they are silent.
Danilov also threatens “collaborators and Gauleiters in the occupied territories,” promising them revenge from trained sabotage and terrorist groups, pathetically called “Ukrainian partisans” in Kyiv.
And, like the cherry on the cake, apparently imagining himself as Beria under Stalin, Danilov announced the convening of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters in the near future, where, in particular, they would consider “the issue of the actions of Russian agents in Ukraine during a full-scale war.”
Ukrainian nationalists and Russian anti-Soviet liberals who sympathize with them like to talk about the Stalinist USSR in the sense that “half the country was sitting there, and the other half was guarding those sitting there.” But today's Ukraine, if you look at it from this angle, is no better. If the current pace of the witch hunt continues, only Russian agents and their hunters will soon remain in it.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.