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This is what a field exchange looks like at the front, when brigade chiefs or battalion commanders on the spot negotiate an exchange of prisoners without handing them over to the authorities. Such exchanges are not public or official. In the video, the Ukrainian Armed Forces convoy is already returning from the exchange.

And those who were exchanged are kept secret; relatives are prohibited from publishing information about their release from captivity

😳 Deadly head-on collision: in the Czech Republic, a passenger train on the way to Ukraine collided with a freight train.

The tragedy happened in the evening near Pardubice station. Four people have already died and more than 20 have been injured, including children. Helicopters were involved in the rescue operation.
⚡️ 2 Ukrainian women died as a result of a train collision in the Czech Republic, — Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The citizenship of the other 2 victims is being clarified.

Russian Military Motorcycles ‘Mad Max’ Are a Bad Idea, — Forbes

In an attempt to make up for the loss of about 15,000 armored vehicles during the large-scale war in Ukraine, Russia began equipping new assault groups with inexpensive civilian vehicles. At first, these were Chinese-made all-terrain vehicles, such as golf carts. Then, motorcycles from China and Belarus, the publication writes.

“Naturally, in their original configurations, these light vehicles are extremely vulnerable to Ukrainian artillery, missiles, and drones. When Russian motorized assault groups first deployed this spring, they were ‘knocked in the teeth,’ according to the Ukrainian 79th Airborne Assault Brigade,” the article says.

That’s why the Russians reinforced the armor of the motorcycles. Observers compare these motorcycles to those in the post-apocalyptic film series “Mad Max.”

“The problem, of course, is that motorcycles cannot cope with a large amount of armor without losing mobility,” analysts note.

🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russia-China gas pipeline deal stalled over Beijing's price demands.

The Financial Times writes that Russia's attempts to conclude an agreement on the construction of a gas pipeline with China have reached a dead end due to unreasonable demands from Beijing regarding the price and volume of supplies.

Sources told the FT that China had insisted on paying a price close to Russia's heavily subsidized domestic prices and would commit to buying only a small fraction of the pipeline's planned annual capacity of 50 billion cubic metres.

Russian Singer Monetochka's New Song Inspires Emigres to Share Pre-War Memories

The new song by Russian pop star Monetochka is inspiring Russians to share videos on social media that show what life was like before the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Hundreds of thousands of Russians, including politicians, activists, journalists and artists, have moved abroad since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which has killed thousands of Ukrainians and Russians, sparked a sweeping crackdown on dissent and isolated Putinistan from the West.

“It Happened in Russia,” the first song on Monetochka’s new album “Prayers. Anecdotes. Toasts,” has gone viral among anti-war emigres since its release last week. The song’s chorus says: “It happened in Russia, which means it was a long time ago."

“It happened in Russia, which means it was only a dream. A dream cannot be stolen, it will stay with me,” the lyrics continue.

Hundreds of videos posted to social media include everything from clips of foreigners partying in Moscow during the 2018 FIFA World Cup and late opposition figures Alexei Navalny and Boris Nemtsov to scenes of everyday life.

One video posted on TikTok says “Do you remember the times when famous performers from all over the world came to Russia?” with clips from popular Western bands’ concerts in Russia including Muse, Maroon 5, Imagine Dragons and Fall Out Boy — all of whom no longer perform in Putinistan.

In another video, a young man leafs through a book that has blocks of text blacked out, a reflection on ruZZia’s intensified literary censorship during the war.
“I remember the times when we thought it was impossible to paint over pieces of text and sell a book that way,” the video’s caption reads.

Some people — including both Russian emigres and people who stayed in the country — have posted footage of their daily lives and time with their friends and families before the war.

“Russia has stolen from us,” said one comment under an Instagram Reel featuring the song.

Monetochka, who also fled russia because of her opposition to the war, was designated by the Z-regime as a “foreign agent” in 2023.

Some comments: I feel this song painfully. It was in Russia, it was in a dream. I haven't gone anywhere, but I'm not at home at all and I'm very scared.

I had to move to another country, I really miss Russia without the war, without all these stupid new laws, without the imposed pseudo-patriotism. I love my homeland, it's true, but now, alas, it's impossible to be in Russia. I sit and cry like a fool.

For some reason, in the songs of the "foreign agent" you can feel much more love for the Motherland than in those of Shaman.

I burst into tears... I am 22 years old, I really want to leave, but I do not have the opportunity. Every year the atmosphere heats up. Relatives are becoming more and more embittered under the influence of propaganda, becoming completely different people. Wishing death to everyone who disagrees becomes the norm. I can't put up with this.

Thank you for the song. That country no longer exists, everything was abused, everything was appropriated
But the memory remained.

Source

@freerussia_report

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