Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-03-27/Eyewitness Wikimedian, Vinnytsia, Ukraine

Eyewitness Wikimedian, Vinnytsia, Ukraine

War diary

On his talk page on Commons, George Chernilevsky reports on the invasion of Ukraine from the city of Vinnytsia. We have copied his text as is, except for formatting and minor copy editing. He has many readers on that page. In general we've removed their comments from this page. George has welcomed this republication. He insists that his name and the name of his town be included here, as well as his spelling of the word "russia". There is always a "fog of war" and The Signpost is not in a position to verify all the facts as presented here. Any opinions stated here are George's, and we do not necessarily agree or disagree with them. We thank George for this report and commend him for his bravery. – S

02.24.2022

Hello to all, friends!

I'm fine. And my family too.

Yes, there really were explosions near Vinnytsia. The windows in my apartment rang from the shock wave. The outskirts of the city were bombarded with 3M-54 Kalibr missiles by the Russian cruiser Moskva, which I had previously photographed. Air raid sirens sounded several times in the city. There are casualties among the civilian population in the vicinity of Vinnytsia.

In general, the Ukrainian army is fighting well. Russian losses are very high:

7 aircraft

7 helicopters

24 tanks

more than other 20 armored vehicles.

Russian morale is very low, they often surrender. However, these orcs are too many for small Ukraine. Now there is a war going on not for Ukraine, but for the democratic values of the whole world.

With best regards, George

news of 02.25.2022

At night there were air strikes on Kyiv. Civilians suffered, there were two fires. Ukrainian air defense shot down two ballistic missiles over Kyiv.
Russian multiple rocket launchers hit residential areas of Melitopol.
Among the civilian casualties, the death of two children was confirmed.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is captured by Russian troops. The radiation level began to rise.
The most dangerous direction is north-west of Kyiv. Russian troops are advancing from the territory of Belarus.
Fights are going on in the vicinity of Gostomel, Vorzel and Bucha. Ukrainian mechanized units set up a powerful barrier there.
with the help of the Javelins, they destroyed a column of military equipment. In addition, several helicopters were shot down.
Kyiv is preparing for defense. Citizens are enrolled in the territorial defense of Kyiv. Today, 18,000 automatic rifles have been distributed to the population. Russian sabotage groups were seen in the city.
In the Chernihiv region, the offensive of the Russians was stopped. But the enemy is building up reserves there, as in the Sumy region. The goal is a new offensive.
In Kharkov, another attack was beaten off in the morning. There was a missile attack on residential areas of Kharkov. Used multiple launch rocket systems "Hurricane" and "Smerch".
In Melitopol, part of the city was captured by the Russians, the other half is held by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Near Kherson, the Russian Federation is trying to cross the Dnieper River, Ukraine is holding defenses on the right bank.
Several new groups of russian military were taken prisoner. Those taken prisoner repeat the same version: they were going to the exercises, the commanders did not say that we were heading to Ukraine.

A Ukrainian pilot in a MiG-29 shot down 6 russian planes over Kyiv. He has already received the nickname "The Ghost of Kyiv"
- 2 Su-35
- 1 Su-27. The pilot of the Su-27 was taken prisoner.
- 1 MiG-29
- 2 Su-25

News of Vinnytsia:

Was successfully repulsed several air attacks
Shot down a russian cruise missile
Detained several saboteurs
There was a terrorist attack at the "Maslozhir" plant

-G

Updated:
Today, russian army vehicles was shot from ambushes and several caravans were burned. Russia's losses are very high: about 80 tanks, 516 infanty fighting vehicles, a large number of guns and rocket artillery. Russia has run out of operational reserve. The Ukrainian army launched a counteroffensive and begins to liberates its territory.
The Ukrainian army successfully attacked a military airfield in the Rostov region in Russia with the ballistic missile Tochka.
Russian air attacks remain strong and regular. In Kyiv, civilian infrastructure was damaged. Russian air attacks on Vinnytsia began at 5 am and continue to this time now. -G

news of 02.26.2022

The main goal of Russia's aggression has become known: it is the physical destruction of the President of Ukraine and the military-political leadership. After that, it was planned to install a new puppet regime under Putin.

At night and in the morning there were strong battles for Kyiv. Fights with Russian vehicles took place even near two metro stations. Citizens in the militia were given NLAW anti-tank missiles. Also two russian tanks were burned by Molotov cocktails. For now, the attacks have been repulsed, all the forces that have broken through have been destroyed.

One heroic and funny moment happened in Kyiv. The Russian armored infanty fighting vehicle lost its orientation and got lost. The russian soldiers decided to ask for directions and opened the hatch. Street hooligans beat up russian warriors and took them prisoner, took away the IFV, and then gave the trophies to the Ukrainian army.

At night, they shot down a Russian Il-76 with a landing party on board, two Su-25s and a combat helicopter.

Fighter "The Ghost of Kyiv" won his ten victory.

Various civilian buildings in Ukraine have been hit by Russian missiles. One cruise missile hit a high-rise residential building in Kyiv. There are cases in the pediatric oncology hospital and in the orphanage.

Again, many russian prisoners. These are conscripts from various parts of Russia and the National Guard - SOBR, and russian police - OMON.

On the coast near Odessa, they tried to land a Marine Corps. One boat was burned, two dozen infantrymen were killed, the rest retreated.

Russian missile cruiser Moskva has again committed a shameful war crime. He shot from artillery the border outpost of Ukraine on the small island of Serpents. It's a tiny rock in the sea, there were 13 people in total, and there was nowhere to hide. More here: Attack on Snake Island.

The Russian fleet fired on merchant ships of Japan and Moldova

Also Russian fleet shot down its own plane with friendly fire.

There have been air raids on Vinnytsia every hour until now. One Russian Su-25 was shot down near Vinnytsia. -G

Updated:
Very good article here 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, so from now on I will only occasionally post personal news. I'm fine -G

news of 03.02.2022

I'm fine, just tired. Each evenings і patrol my city. This afternoon there was again an air raid alert several times. A russian sabotage group was captured near Vinnytsia. The support of citizens and the military to each other has greatly increased. All Ukrainians rallied as one family.

Today, the Ukrainian army launched a counterattack in many areas, and settlements are being liberated. The losses of the russian army are colossal. Some of the abandoned equipment in good condition becomes the trove of the Ukrainian army, include tanks and AFVs.

The pilot The Ghost of Kyiv was shot down, but ejected and was able to return to his airfield. He got a new jetfighter and after that shot down another enemy.

Meduza.io published photos of war, see below:

-G

news of 03.04.2022

Russian general Andrey Sukhovetsky was killed in Ukraine. The USSR and russia did not lose their generals in battles after 1943.

The Ukrainian nuclear power plant in the city of Energodar was fired upon by Russian tanks. This is a threat of ecological catastrophe for the whole of Europe.

Among Ukrainian trophies there are serviceable Russian tanks and other armored vehicles. Some number of captured russian tanks, trucks and armored vehicles is being marked as Ukrainan now, and used by the Ukrainian army. Trophies also include several serviceable Pantsir missile systems, ammunition trucks, trucks for transporting prisoners, and one TOS-1.

Russian propaganda is silent about the huge losses of the Russian army.

Ukraine plans to send 20 railcars filled with the corpses of Russian soldiers to Russia.

Despite all the horrors of the war and the sanctions, Putin's rating within the Russian population has increased by about 11%. Russians believe that Russia is a great country now that everyone will now be afraid of.
More photos from Meduza:

Morning in Vinnytsia was again with air raid sirens. I am hosting another group of refugees from the war. They need to be given food and shelter in my home. Tomorrow they will go further to the west of Ukraine. My beautiful city now looks gloomy. Checkpoints and patrols in the streets, Czech hedgehogs, and cross-sealed glass on the windows to protect against the shock wave.
I'll be patrolling again tonight. I want to see something kind and peaceful from my old photo shoots of Ukraine and post here on Commons.
I'm still fine -G

news of 03.06.2022

In Ukraine, the number of victims among the civilian population is increasing. Russian troops are shelling civilians.
There was just now russian missile attack on Vinnytsia. 8 large caliber missiles.
I'm still OK -G
Updated: today's attack on the city of Vinnytsia was carried out from the Black Sea of the russian navy with 8 missiles 3M-54 Kalibr. -G

news of 03.08.2022

Losses of the Russian army on 03.08.2022:

Aircraft 48
Helicopters 80
UAV operational-tactical reconnaissance 7
Ships and boats of the Navy 3
AFVs 1036
Tanks 303
Trucks 474
Railway tanks with fuel 60
Guns 120
Multiple launch rocket systems 56
Over 12,000 military killed
Second Russian general killed Vitaly Gerasimov

Russian troops in Ukraine destroyed 202 schools, 34 hospitals and more than 1,500 residential buildings by shelling and bombing of peaceful targets.
Air raid sirens sound again in Vinnytsia -G

news of 03.09.2022

The Russian military completely bombed the building of a maternity hospital in the occupied city of Mariupol. Among the victims - both staff and women in labor, a total of 17 people.
More photos of the war from Meduza.io, it's all happening now in Europe:

Russian invaders are trying to create an ecological catastrophe at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The power supply of the cooling system for the storage of nuclear waste is damaged.
Russia has again prepared mobile crematoria for its soldiers. Such crematoria have already been used before in the Donbas war from 2014 and in the war in Syria. Thus, the Russian leadership is trying to hide information about the number of their losses. Morgues and hospitals in Crimea and Belarus are already overcrowded. Russia refused to accept wagons with the corpses of its soldiers from Ukraine. Turning Russian soldiers into ashes solves two problems: information about the number of losses disappears and the need to pay monetary compensation to the family of the deceased disappears. The soldier did not die in the action, but became missing for no known reason, perhaps even a deserter. There are separate reports from hospitals in Belarus that severely maimed but still alive disabled people also disappear from hospital beds, they are taken somewhere.
Additional information about crematoria in the article
https://nypost.com/2022/02/24/russia-has-mobile-crematoriums-that-evaporate-the-dead-report/
The Russian army has lost more than a thousand armored personnel carriers, so new columns with soldiers are traveling in the bodies of civilian trucks and dump trucks without awnings. Among the Russians who surrendered, there are cadets of the school of military cooks, teachers and civilians who were seized on the streets of cities and forcibly sent to fight. The morale of the Russian army is very low. New nicknames of this period:

Russia - Mordor
Russian soldiers - orcs.
Molotov cocktail - Bandera smoothie. In memory of Stepan Bandera.

There were also several air attacks on Vinnytsia today. Two russian missiles were destroyed before they reached the city. -G

news of 03.12.2022

Total losses of the Russian army on 03.12.2022:

Aircraft 58
Helicopters 83
UAV operational-tactical reconnaissance 7
Ships and boats of the Navy 3
AFVs 1205
Tanks 362
Trucks 474
Railway tanks with fuel 60
Guns 135
Multiple launch rocket systems 62
Over 12,000 military killed
Third Russian general killed Andrei Kolesnikov

A noteworthy moment: russian Wikipedians began to nominate articles about killed russian generals for deletion. They explain it with various pretexts.
In recent days, the Russian army has not been successful, therefore it resorts to terror of the civilian population. A bomb with a capacity of 1000 kg of TNT was dropped on Mariupol. In the city of Dnipro, rocket attacks hit a residential building, a kindergarten, and a shoe factory.
More photos of the war from Meduza.io:

Air raid sirens sound again in Vinnytsia. Thanks everyone for the moral support -G

news of 03.13.2022

Thanks everyone!
The main problem of the russians is that you can only move forward along the highways. Ukrainian fertile land is used everywhere for agriculture. These are open fields. Therefore, if a tank drove off the highway, it immediately fell right up to the turret into soft, wet black soil and got stuck. The russian army entered Ukraine in military columns 50-64 km long in all directions. It was an excellent target for aviation, artillery and precision weapons.
Unfortunately, the retaliatory actions of the russian military are terror and shelling of civilians. About 2,200 civilians killed in Mariupol alone.
Panic is now in Crimea. The russians who arrived after the occupation are now selling their homes for next to nothing, throwing away their furniture and property, and leaving for the depths of Russia. Every day, in Crimea another 5,000 apartments are put up for sale additionally. Tatars in Crimea took to mass demonstrations in support of the return of Crimea to Ukraine.
Thanks to everyone who helps Ukraine and helps Ukrainian refugees in your countries. Unfortunately, i see many reports of misbehavior by Ukrainian refugees in Moldova, in Poland and even in Portugal. These refugees arrange banquets, scandals, and brawls in European countries. Do not think that all Ukrainians are like that. This behavior occurs mainly in people with thick wallets and a bad conscience. It was these scoundrels who went to you in the first batch of refugees.
Help those who are grateful to you.
In Vinnytsia, the day passed, as usual, with air raid sirens. However, there are some improvements. More stores have opened now. Barbershops and salons have reopened. Schools will be open online from Monday. -G

Are you ok?

(On 16 March 2022 other Wikimedians inquire about George's absence on the page.)

Hello friends. I'm fine, just tired. I'll write more just now... -G

news of 03.16.2022

Today at 04:00 Vinnytsia heard explosions of rocket attacks. Two rockets damaged the Vinnytsia TV tower. In addition, a school and a kindergarten were damaged.
A significant part of my time today is spent communicating with friends, acquaintances and relatives from Russia. It was really terrible! They have all seen Russian propaganda on TV and called with accusations that Ukrainians are Nazis who want to kill Russian children. Putin's propaganda is a real means of turning people into obedient zombies. I burned out from the inside from such communication.
And at the same time, Ukrainian children actually die from Russian bombs or become disabled.
Despite the hostilities, sowing work begins in the agricultural fields of southern Ukraine.

Total losses of the Russian army 02.24.2022 - 03.16.2022:

Aircrafts 84
Helicopters 108
UAV operational-tactical reconnaissance 11
Ships and boats of the Navy 3
AFVs 1375
Tanks 430
Trucks 819
Railway tanks with fuel 60
Guns 190
Multiple launch rocket systems 70
Air defense vehicles 43
Special engineering vehicles (pontoons etc.)10
Over 13,800 military killed
Russian generals killed in total 8

Captured serviceable russian equipment is now used in the service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

Tanks 45
Armored personnel carriers 27
Self-propelled artillery mounts 4
Air defense vehicles 6
Howitzers 7
Trucks 70

Since the equipment of russia and Ukraine has the same calibers and a common history from the USSR, Ukraine has no problems with spare parts, repairs and ammunition for trophies.
In recent days, several Russian pilots have been taken prisoner and have given important testimony about the war crimes of the russian military leadership. Now russian parachutes is broken and not opened after ejection of russian pilots.
The russian army continues to massively dispose of the corpses of its soldiers in order to keep silent about their losses. They are burned or buried in mass graves in the area of hostilities.-G

news of 03.18.2022

Hi all. I'м OK.
News from Russia today is a severe moral degradation of the population. People protest minimally against the war, but there are long lines with fights to buy scarce goods. Private polls taken in Russia have reported that the majority of russians still support the war and think the government's actions are the right thing to do. For example, 81% support aggression against Ukraine, 75% believe that Poland should be the next country for russian attack. Also the Baltic countries and Moldova over 60% are also named as the next goals. The survey percentage can be considered approximate only, but they show the general tendencies of russian morality now. Russia also said that Bosnia could repeat the Ukrainian scenario.
The russian army still has no success in military advance and therefore strikes at civilian targets. Yesterday's air strike on the theater of Mariupol is also a barbaric act. In the basement of the theater there was a bomb shelter for the civilian population. In Ukraine, there are no longer cities and towns where the population can be safe.
The morning of Vinnytsia began with air raid sirens. One of the downed russian rockets fell in a small village near Vinnytsia. My friends live two hundreds of meters from the fall of this rocket. The rocket did not explode, so there will be an evacuation of the population, and only then mine clearance. -G

(in response to a reader's question)

Unfortunately, not everything is so optimistic, my friend. I talked with some different people from russia. Among those who hate Ukraine and support russian aggression, there are people of creative professions and people with university education. The propaganda machine is too strong in russia, and there are people who are simply comfortable living with a point of view that blames Ukraine and talks about justifying this war. -G

I will add here a quote from one russian who has a good education and is engaged in creative work:

"When the Internet first appeared, I rejoiced like crazy. I thought: well, now the boundaries of the world will move apart, it will become easier than ever to find out the necessary information and the truth about everything. And now the Internet is no longer a cake, which means it's time to end anarchy and freedom in it. It remains to be hoped that the good old censorship and the criminal code will come to the Internet."

news of 03.19.2022

Little remark: my knowledge of English is not perfect, but i use of small letters is intentional. I write russia from a small letter, because i despise the aggressor.
Today's night and morning in Vinnytsia passed quietly. This is the first time since the beginning of the war. My little granddaughter (she is now 7 years old)has already learned all the air raid alarms. The first long signal of the siren - an enemy is detected in the air. The second long signal of the siren means that our air defense could not repel the attack, and there will be a blow. A short siren signal means the end of the air attack.
In the mornings, my granddaughter studies in the first grade of the school online, but the lessons are sometimes interrupted due to an air attack. My granddaughter is also taking her friend Thomas, her pet cat, to the bomb shelter. Since the beginning of the war, russia has launched about 1,070 large-caliber missiles into Ukraine. Previously, Ukrainian air defense could only repel about 10% of air attacks. However, tonight, something began to change. Many air targets were shot down. -G

Near Nikolaev, Ukrainian troops captured serviceable russian self-propelled gun 2S19 Msta.

Another russian general is killed. This was Mordvichev Andrei Nikolaevich - Lieutenant General of the Armed Forces of the russian federation Chief of Staff of the 8th Guards General Army of the Southern Military District.

More photos from Meduza.io

Сoncerts and rallies in support of Russia's aggressive policy:

Photos of war

-G

(in response to questions) I'm OK.

Yes, the death of Andrei Nikolaevich Paliy has been confirmed. This officer of the navy wore the shoulder straps of a colonel (in the russian navy - a captain of the first rank), but he held the second most important position in the Black Sea navy. This position corresponds to the level of admiral.

An article about this murdered navy leader was immediately nominated for deletion in the ru-Wiki. This is becoming a russian tradition for all russian commanders killed in Ukraine in 2022. It is likely that a significant part of the ru-Wiki community is under the control of russian special services. This is another way to keep silent about the losses of the russian army in the war, and it is likely that even here russian censorship is active. -G

news of 03.21.2022

Now in Vinnytsia it is relatively calm, although there were several air raid sirens today. Few cruise missiles landed outside the city without detonation at latest days. The official authorities of the city and the region issued warnings about the danger of such items. The search for bombs and missile warheads continues. Yesterday the work of the television tower was restored in the city.
Over the past day, the brigades of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (this is the rescue service in Ukraine, similar to 911) 1208 times went to eliminate the consequences of shelling and bombing. This is for the whole country. Most of the strikes were on civilian infrastructure.
At night, Kyiv was heavily shelled with rockets. The footage hurts to look at. Rockets hit residential areas and a shopping center.
As a result of the shelling of a chemical plant in the city of Sumy, ammonia leaked from tanks.
There are no advances along the front line, the aggressor has been stopped everywhere and is trying to hold on to the existing lines.
Russia is hardly making up for its personnel losses. Therefore, the orchestra of the russian railway troops and cadets of military schools were sent to the front for replenishment.
Total losses of the Russian army 02.24.2022 - 03.21.2022:

Aircrafts 97
Helicopters 121
UAV operational-tactical reconnaissance 24
Ships and boats of the Navy 3
AFVs 1535
Tanks 498
Trucks 969
Railway tanks with fuel 60
Guns 240
Multiple launch rocket systems 80
Air defense vehicles 45
Special engineering vehicles (pontoons etc.)12
Over 15,000 military killed

-G

news of 03.22.2022

Yesterday and today there were several air raid sirens in Vinnytsia.
A woman journalist from Germany was found in Vinnytsia, who was engaged in espionage activities in favor of russia. She was expelled from Ukraine. She was accompanied by colleagues who also left our country.
A group of spies was also detained near Vinnytsia, who worked under the legend that they were refugees from Kharkov, but in fact collected and transmitted data of a military nature.
In Kyiv, a Tik-Tok blogger was detained, who posted a video about the movements of Ukrainian equipment. The equipment left, and the russians launched a powerful missile attack on the city blocks that were shown in the video. The blogger has been arrested and is under investigation.
The current account of neutralized Russian espionage and sabotage groups in Ukraine is 162 since the beginning of the war.
The 100th Russian plane was shot down.
In Vinnytsia region and in some other quiet areas, the sale of beer was allowed from today. Strong alcoholic beverages continue to be under Prohibition due to martial law.
-G

news of 03.24.2022

Important news today: find Zelensky's online message at the NATO summit in your media. It's short and to the point. This is what not only our President, but every citizen of Ukraine would like to tell the whole world.
-G

news of 03.25.2022

(in response to a reader who asked about a report that the Air Force Command of Ukrainian Armed Forces in Vinnytsia, has been bombed)'

Yes, there really was a strong blow to the city center with large-caliber rockets. The whole city heard the sounds of these explosions.
-G
Little news from the city of Vinnytsia
The city changed the rules of public transport. Now municipal trams and trolleybuses are not required to stop during an air raid. However, passengers can ask to stop and get off at their own request if there is a bomb shelter nearby.
One of the bomb shelters hosts free puppet theater performances for children who have been evacuated to Vinnytsia from more dangerous regions.
One of the drinking water suppliers in the city refused to sell for their services and provides water free of charge to the population.
The windows of hospitals and maternity hospitals are barricaded from the outside with sandbags.
The city has a large number of volunteer organizations that are very active in helping the army and refugees. A large number of requests appear on social networks, to which the entire population responds very quickly. All for victory, and we are all like one family. It is an amazing feeling, as if you live in Sparta.
The experiment with weak alcoholic drinks was successful, the population remains disciplined, so cafes and restaurants were also opened in Vinnytsia, despite the bombing. The same decision was made in the city of Odessa, which was also under fire. Life goes on.
My cousin is a military doctor, he now works non-stop in a hospital, providing assistance to wounded Ukrainian servicemen. Sometimes we can talk on the phone with him. For rest, he has only sleep time. He told me that our wounded heroes show resilience and optimism despite their severe injuries.
My friend and his family left Irpin, where he used to live and is now in Vinnytsia. His house still survived, but, as he himself now assesses the situation, Irpin will not be suitable for life for a long time to come. A lot of fuel from broken military equipment was spilled into the ground. There are a large number of explosive objects and corpses of Russian soldiers on the streets. There are also a lot of traces of fires. There is a cadaverous smell and the smell of burning in the Air.
Another family we knew was able to leave Velyka Dymerka when there was a humanitarian evacuation corridor. There they had their own house and a small farm. They saw how the invaders shot their neighbor, an ordinary civilian woman. They released all the live pigs from the farm into the street and thanked God that they were alive and were able to leave. Now these people live with relatives.
What are people talking about on the streets? That Western politicians are too weak to stop russian aggression. Ukraine is fighting for the whole world, the Third World War has already begun, and they are lamenting their financial losses (sanctions damage both sides) and assure russia of their prudence and non-intervention. We are grateful to the whole world for any help, but this help is too little for victory. Ukraine also suffers losses both in the troops and in the civilian population. Already more than 560 russian tanks have been destroyed, but the total number of tanks in the russian army before the war was 12,420. Now the second stage of general mobilization in Ukraine has begun, as additional reserves for the army were needed.
-G

In this issue

27 March 2022

From the Signpost team

News and notes

Eyewitness Wikimedian, Kharkiv, Ukraine

Eyewitness Wikimedian, Vinnytsia, Ukraine

Eyewitness Wikimedian, Western Ukraine

Disinformation report

In the media

Recent research

Wikimedian perspective

Discuss this story

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As a person on the Commons, George's reports have been very moving, and we all worry if we do not hear from him. Thank you for publishing this. Krok6kola (talk) 17:28, 28 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

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