As an epigraph: "Russian troops grouping "Center" blocked Ukrainian Lisichansk" (reports in Russian media on June 24, 2022)
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Article editor - Mark Beygelzimer, PhD, systems analyst, head of the Trust but Verify project.
In 1965, Soviet poet and singer-songwriter Vladimir Vysotsky (January 25, 1938 - July 25, 1980) wrote the song "Soldiers of the group "Center", which tells about the mood in the German army at the beginning of its invasion of the USSR in 1941.
The song, written about the times of the Great Patriotic War, strikingly echoes the events of today's war. And in every detail, from the first to the last line!
The text is written on behalf of German soldiers marching through Ukraine:
They see it as entertainment:
They turn the blooming edges into scorched earth:
But that doesn't bother them. They're looking for a quick win:
The reality turns out to be not so rosy: one in two won't be coming back:
But none of them ask themselves what they are dying for. The Führer makes the decisions for all of them:
The lyrics are remarkably accurate in describing the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops in 2022!
The parallels are so clear that in May 2022, St. Petersburg resident Irina Kustova was fined 50,000 rubles for listening to this song. A Russian court found Kustova guilty under Article 20.3.3 Part 1 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation for discrediting the Russian army.
So, the Russian court officially recognized that the actions on the territory of Ukraine of the Russian army in 2022 and the German army in 1941 are SIMILAR (otherwise there are no grounds for legal proceedings), but, on the other hand, they are NOT similar (because there is discrediting). A classic example of Orwellian doublethink!
Video of Vladimir Vysotsky performing the song (source: Vladimir Vysotsky channel)
Cover photo: "Multi-Focal" page by Lina Gorodetskaya
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