Putin is bombing Belgorod. About 10 years ago I was for the first and only time in the Belgorod region, in the town of Valuiki, bordering Ukraine. There was a torture colony there, where an unruly prisoner was being tortured. We came to rescue him together with a well-known human rights activist Andrei Babushkin (later, at my request, he dealt with the problems of Ukrainian political prisoners in Russian penitentiaries...). The mission was a local success, but since then Russia has changed a lot - in fact, it has all turned into one big torture colony, stringing barbed wire all around the perimeter of the controlled territory. What happened in Belgorod region today and yesterday? Putin is bombing Belgorod. In strict accordance with the famous meme, only Voronezh is lucky so far. Whether the Russian Air Force drops bombs from their airplanes again, or launches missiles at Kharkov with crooked hands, or shoots down drones launched at Russian military facilities - it doesn't matter. There would be no war - there would be no deaths in Belgorod today. And the deaths in Ukrainian cities the day before. And in general there would be nothing of the horror that has been going on since February 24, 2022. Russia will not only continue to accuse Ukraine of all mortal sins (as it does today), it will definitely raise the degree. Just as the Chechens once needed the explosions of apartment buildings in Moscow and the regions in order to be vilified, so sooner or later it will come to terrorist attacks in Belgorod/Voronezh, which will be attributed to Ukrainian DRGs. For Putin, the lives of dozens, hundreds, thousands of Russians are as worthless as the lives of Ukrainians. They say if you actively hit Russian territory, it will supposedly only rally Russians around Putin. It won't. By and large, the forces "for" and "against" the war in Russian society have long been arranged since February/March last year. And no events now significantly affect the balance (just as Russian society does not affect the Kremlin's decision-making). Therefore, it is possible and necessary to strike military facilities located on the territory of the Russian Federation (not based on what Russia will think about it, but only on whether it will help to protect Ukrainian cities). Another thing is that the raids of the Freedom of Russia Legion and other units of Russian volunteers play a significant role in the mindset of "people on the ground", especially those living on the border. The main question is: "When will the Belgorod People's Republic be proclaimed?" (spoiler: soon). Now that's really going to be a twist that could significantly affect the course of the war.... Actually, this was a post about the results of the year, or rather even about plans for 2024. I think that Belgorod region may well become the cradle of a new free Russia, a Russia without Putin. All the more so 10 years ago I was already there with a humanitarian mission.... (с) Legionary "Lytik"