"This is what the 'Patriots for Life' from Severodonetsk look like now. They disappeared on March 7, and now their new photos have appeared. They look like that. I would not be surprised if the investigation finds out that they shot themselves in the head - when they realized how stupid they were when they went to cooperate with [Ilya] Kiva."His reference was to the Ukrainian MP who fled to Russia in January.
Prosecutors in Kiev had charged Kiva, an outspoken critic of President Volodymyr Zelensky, with treason on March 6, the day before the activists went missing. He had fled the country after being kicked out by his party, "Opposition Platform — For Life."
That did not save the faction, and almost a dozen others, from being temporarily banned by Zelensky on March 20. A law allowing for permanent bans was adopted on May 14.
Zhorin's post showed the badly disfigured faces of three men and a woman, in body bags. They appear to have been extrajudicially executed in a cruel manner, said the Telegram channel "Witch Hunt," which first brought attention to the Azov leader's post.
Ukraine is "not even medieval, it is ISIS," the channel added, in a reference to Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, known for its savage beheadings of prisoners.
Severodonetsk became Ukraine's military administration center for the disputed Lugansk region in the east of the country. It is a major stronghold of troops loyal to Kiev and is currently the site of heavy fighting with Russian troops, as well as Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics' forces.
Zhorin isn't just any member of Azov, a notorious Ukrainian militia that has adopted Nazi iconography. He joined them in 2014, at the very start of the turmoil in Ukraine, and actually commanded the unit from August 2016 to September 2017, though his rank in the National Guard of Ukraine is only first lieutenant.
His official biography says Zhorin took part in the taking of Mariupol and Marinka and survived the 2014 defeat at Ilovaisk. In October 2017, he set up the Kharkov regional branch of Azov's political wing, the National Corps, and became a member of the party's central committee in January 2020.
Reader Comments
Stupid question: how do we know that the Ukraine even *got* the 40 billion dollars? How do we know it was not a direct deposit into the Uni-Partys bank accounts?
One theory is that in reality what goes to Ukraine is not weapons, but "weapon-like materials". The stuff that's too old, in poor condition, likely not working, mostly junk. While the taxpayers - you and I - are being charged for brand new weaponry, fresh off the assembly line, tested and ready to fire.
Then Ukrainians leak the info about the shipment to Russians, and the depot gets a visit from a Russian missile. Boom! So sad, too bad, no traces left.
While the money made by selling scrap metal for the price of weapons is quietly divided between the US contractors and Ukrainians. With the US contractors getting the lion's share. Does this sound too far-fetched?