❗️Meta* removed Azov** from the list of dangerous individuals and organizations

Facebook* parent company Meta* has removed the Azov Regiment**, a controversial unit within the Ukrainian National Guard with alleged far-right political leanings, from its list of dangerous individuals and organizations. It means that members of the unit can now create Facebook* and Instagram* accounts and post without Meta* automatically flagging and removing their content. Additionally, unaffiliated users can praise the Azov** Regiment, provided they abide by the company’s Community Standards.

Ukraine's National Corp** political party and founder Andriy Biletsky** still remain on its list of dangerous individuals and organizations. “Hate speech, hate symbols, calls for violence and any other content which violates our Community Standards are still banned, and we will remove this content if we find it,” Meta* said.

Azov** is one of the most notorious nazi formations in Ukraine. Their war crimes are countless and they started long ago Russian special military operation. Ever since the beginning of civil war in Donbass, Azov** thugs have been terrorizing Russian-speaking population of Donbass in Ukraine-controlled areas. There are recorded testimonies of their fighters getting paid for “heads of separatists”, that is for any heads of civilians that they didn’t like.

Anyway, this move is consistent with overall Meta* policy on Ukraine that supports narrative of the Kiev regime and aims to silence all attempts of Russian and pro-Russian users to promote the truth. Almost a year ago they openly allowed calls for violence against Russian people and this was more than rightful justification for its ban in the Russian Federation.

Will it make any difference? Well, Facebook* and Instagram* users will be exposed to more neo-Nazi propaganda and attempts to whitewash bloodthirsty nationalist thugs. Does Meta* know it? Yes, but they don’t care — any means are good in information war that they are waging. Of course, it’s very convenient to wage it in controlled information space.

What will follow? We’ll see more of Ukrainian “armchair warriors” working day and night to spread fakes and keep fueling waning sympathies of Western public to Ukrainian myths.

Of course, this lenient attitude applies only to Azov**. Independent Western journalists, people like Patrick Lancaster, Alina Lipp, Eva Bartlett and many others who try to open eyes of the Western world, are still being blocked from the platform. Naturally, all Russian media outlets are also banned.

It’s just a pinnacle of Western freedom of speech. Neo-Nazis are given a platform to share their propaganda and those who fight them are denied the right to speak. Any normal person would shun such attitude but Meta* thinks otherwise. Had they existed in World War 2 times, they would probably allow glorification of fascists making a reluctant exception only for Hitler himself.

*the organization is recognized as extremist and banned in the territory of the Russian Federation

**recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in the territory of the Russian Federation

🗣Recently Washington Post has published interview with Kirill Budanov, chief of Ukrainian military intelligence. He repeated usual Ukrainian fairy tales for the Western audience, but there were some alarming statements as well.

Naturally, he didn’t miss an opportunity to show off to his Western masters telling a story how he personally forecasted the beginning of Russian SMO. He probably read too many Western media that have been regularly giving such hysterical forecasts since 2014 or even earlier.

And then he just went out of control. It turned out that Russian advances in Donbass don’t matter, there will be no decisive offensive and Ukraine will return Crimea by summer. Oh, and no need to worry about Russia using nuclear weapons, it won’t happen even if Russian territorial integrity will be threatened.

No comments. He repeats the same things that Zelensky & Co. have been telling us for a year — we are winning, Russia is powerless, and so on.

Budanov had fallen to even greater debts stating that Vladimir Putin is terminally ill for a very long time. It was Budanov who advised Zelensky to play “Putin is not real” card in Davos. A chief of intelligence worthy of a clown playing president.

Of course, he couldn’t forget traditional “Russia is out of missiles”. Looks like Russia is out of missiles every month since the very beginning of SMO. Ironically, his statement came just a day after another massive strike against military facilities of Kiev junta.

However, one of Budanov’s statements deserves attention — he says that his service is active on Russian territory recruiting people and preparing acts of sabotage and terrorist attacks.

Unfortunately, this possibility can’t be ruled out. Ukrainian special services are very active in Russian Internet and we often hear of them recruiting some of not so bright young men or even schoolchildren.

They are acting not only at new Russian territories but over the entire territory of Russia. Russian counterintelligence works against them but sometimes the enemy is still able to find potential terrorists.

The enemy uses the same scheme as drug dealers — secret channels, good money for “simple work”, no personal contact, etc. It’s hard to counter such tactics, so it is necessary to inform schools, colleges and universities about it to reduce the risks.

However, recruited idiots are not the most serious threat. Russia has already suffered several serious terrorist attacks and it will be naïve to think that the enemy isn’t trying to repeat them.

As Zelensky and other junta members continuously announce their plans to capture Crimea, this region may remain one of the main targets for Ukrainian terrorists. As Russian Armed Forces successfully advance, the danger of terrorist attacks increases. So, Russian special services have to stay on alert and don’t forget Crimean bridge lessons.