Ukraine ping
A sad example of friendly fire - hazardous to locals, and doubly hazardous to foreigners unaccompanied by local acquaintances who can vouch for them. A Russian blogger laments his loss:
I see no point in holding anything back now. On April 8, Russell was detained at the scene of the shelling, where he came to help the victims. The military detained him, most likely they were tankmen of the 5th brigade. They were probably confused by his accent, and they decided that they had caught a spy. And they behaved with him accordingly, although he had both a passport and a military ID.
Just think what Texas could have thought in the last minutes of his life, who 10 years ago came here at the call of his heart to defend the besieged Donetsk, who had unlimited trust in all people in uniform, and in people in general, his usual expression was: “Bro.”
There’s a lot to be said about Texas. He was an Orthodox Christian, found love in Donetsk and lived with his Lyudmila in Petrovka.A story for a film. In his wallet he had a portrait of his wife right next to his own driver’s license photo, he arranged them in such a way that when the wallet was closed, it appeared that the spouses were kissing...
What was he thinking about when these freaks kicked him? About his wife? Mum?
He loved his mother very much, he told me in an interview that once during heavy shelling he thought: “But if I die now, I will immediately meet my mother.”
I don’t know why we should take Kyiv and Odessa now. War must be waged with clean
hands or not waged at all.
Now only two things can be achieved: punishment of the guilty and an Orthodox funeral for Russell. And a funeral is possible only when the body is given back.
Can we at least achieve this?!]
He quickly made a name for himself in combat. “Texas showed himself to be a good, hardy fighter, and an excellent machine gunner,” a writer for Sut’ Vremeni’s newspaper once noted. In battle, Bentley often wore a straw cowboy hat that he’d adorned with a red Soviet star.
Each evening at the monastery, he entertained his bunkmates by strumming his guitar and singing in pidgin Russian. At night they were careful to walk the hallways in total darkness, lest the beam from a flashlight attract the eye of a Ukrainian sniper. Once, a mortar struck the wall directly outside the room where Bentley was sleeping, sending shrapnel into his sleeping bag. He escaped unscathed.
In the waning days of 2013, Bentley couldn’t shake the feeling that his life was stalling out. Born into a wealthy family, he’d dropped out of high school and worked a factory job before joining the Army. He then bounced around odd jobs and ultimately found his calling as a marijuana activist, although trafficking the drug had eventually turned him into a fugitive. Now he was working as an arborist in Austin, renting a bedroom in a ranch-style house in Round Rock, and searching for a larger purpose. Following the Great Recession, his tree-trimming wages had dropped from $1,000 for five days of work, in 2007, to $700 for six days of work. He watched as his friends struggled as well. “People I know in Texas, Oklahoma, and Washington, they’re all working harder for less money now,” he told me.
He was fast becoming his own worst fear—a middle-aged man with a bloated waistline and no savings. “I have to find something real and meaningful in my life,” he thought, “even if it’s to be like Davy Crockett and end up at the Alamo. I have to express myself by action and not just words.”
For years his media diet had consisted of a vast constellation of Kremlin-friendly fringe websites like Veterans Today and Global Research. (He later became a fan of Southfront, which appears “to be a Russian front that deliberately obscures its origins,” a State Department official told Politico.) The perspectives that he found there, from articles lamenting the shrinking American middle class to posts about the failures of the American justice system, resonated with his own experiences.]
Kremlin snuff box, 04/17/24 <— Russian Blogger very well connected in the Kremlin.
https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets
An American journalist who disappeared in the DPR was raped. He’s probably already dead
The famous American volunteer Russell Bentley (call sign “Texas”), whose disappearance was recently reported by his wife Lyudmila, was raped by a group of military personnel on the territory of the DPR. He was detained on April 8 on suspicion of spying for NATO countries.
“The group of military men was very drunk. Someone thought that “Texas” was filming our military equipment. Presentations began.
In general, he was detained. One of the military men accused the American of often flying into Donetsk to places he had previously visited.” Texas,” an interlocutor close to the head of the DPR, Pushilin, told us.
The interlocutors hinted that after the rape, one of the officers said that it was no longer possible to let the American go. His fate is unknown, but there is reason to believe he may already be dead. Let’s hope that this is not the case.
The wife of “Texas” was advised not to make unnecessary fuss, but she decided to make the story of the arrest public.
—
Kremlin snuff box, 04/19/24
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/3964
American Russell Bentley was raped and killed in the DPR. Wife receives threats
We are forced to state that our insight, unfortunately, has been confirmed again. The wife of American journalist Russell Bentley (call sign “Texas”) officially announced that he is dead. Alas, we warned about this outcome of events two days ago .
We wrote that Russell was suspected of spying for NATO countries. In particular, due to the fact that arrivals were often recorded exactly where the American had been before.
So at the time of his arrest, “Texas” was in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, where enemy attacks began to be delivered. The military who were at the arrival site suspected that Russell was filming the aftermath of the arrival, as well as the equipment.
After his arrest, Russell was interrogated, where he was raped by one of the military men. After that it was no longer possible to let him go.
The wife of “Texas” , by the way, accused the tank crews of the 5th brigade of detaining and illegally detaining her husband. However, she began to receive threats, and this continues now.
She is receiving death threats if she continues to create a fuss about this story. Both the military and the DPR authorities want to hush up the incident. Although this is a great loss for the republic.
Obviously, such a blatant case must be investigated. The perpetrators must be punished! “Texas” gave 10 years of his life to the free Donbass.
He fought as a volunteer, and then covered in detail what was happening in the DPR. Ten years later, he was raped and killed on possibly trumped-up charges. It shouldn’t be this way. What will other volunteers and volunteers think?
—
Kremlin snuff box, 04/19/24
https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets
The murder of “Texas” in the DPR reached the Kremlin level. He will probably be buried in Russia
The story of the murder of American Russell Bentley (call sign “Texas”) in the DPR has reached a new level. According to our information, US authorities are preparing to submit a request for the release of the body of the deceased. At the same time, the Kremlin knows that before his death, “Texas” in Donetsk was raped by one of the servicemen.
“The body cannot be handed over. Now they are deciding how to bury it in Russia,” said a source in the AP. The option that Russell Bentley will be declared an enemy spy and buried in the DPR is being preliminarily discussed.
Another option is more obvious - since “Texas” had a Russian passport, he must be buried in Russia with all honors. After all, he generally led the life of a simple Russian person, was an Orthodox Christian.
At the same time, the Kremlin reacts extremely nervously to statements by military officers and other participants in the war regarding the murder of “Texas”.
For example, Alexander Khodakovsky was forced to urgently delete a post calling for an investigation into the incident. This only confirms that the authorities, neither in the DPR nor at the federal level, do not need unnecessary fuss.
But this is important! Prove that justice exists! That we are not some kind of fascists to kill a person just because of his American origin. The right thing to do is to investigate the murder of Russell Bentley as quickly as possible.
