The Russians know everything. They know that their country is waging war. They know that those who seized Crimea had already started killing there - murdering the Ukrainian military and Crimean Tatar civilians. They also know that this "Russian world" moved immediately to Donbas and conceived "Novorossiya." The death toll reaches thousands. And this is no secret in Russia. It's no secret that big and small towns and villages across Russia regularly see people secretly burying their loved ones, citizens of the "great" country who for some reason tried to prove their "greatness" by force of arms. Ukraine is not the only place Russians take out their "killed in action," there's also Syria... Everyone is aware of that but at the same time, no one wants to notice this. After all, it can't be that bad if Russian TV draws such a nice picture for its audience... Here in Russia people seem to really have believed in their nation's exclusiveness.

Who was Arkadiy Babchenko? He was the one who had been destroying this alternative reality. He called black black and red red. After all, even those who "disagreed" with him, still knew at heart that he was actually right. Of course, it hurts when someone brings you down to this sinful Earth when they speak and write about the crimes of the country of which they are citizens. Only for some reason in the "most Orthodox" country in this galaxy, people seem to get very upset when being told that maybe it's enough dead bodies and it's enough killing...

In the country of peculiar spiritual bonds, a special term was invented for such people as Babchenko - "national traitors." The Russian mindset, one can condescendingly treat defeated enemies, but never "traitors." The latter are unworthy of "forgiveness." And that's what happened.

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Who was Arkadiy Babchenko? He was the one who had been destroying this alternative reality. He called black black and red red

This tragedy will be fully exploited in Russia as fuel for its information war and confirmation of an already familiar message: "it's only good in Russia as it's bad elsewhere." They'll be blaming everyone, you name it: the junta, fascists, and maybe even Banderites. They'll try not to look in the mirror, although, in the Russian alternative reality they are already showing what those looking in them wish to see. We will hear a lot about the bad and dangerous Ukraine, where Russian journalists keep dying.

Recently, Arkadiy would often write he doesn't  want to go back to war again, but, in fact, he never really left the battlefield

The man who physically pulled the trigger and whose shots ended Babchenko's life could be pretty much anyone. But I have no doubt that the journalist was killed for his civic position. It's just that too many in Russia were outraged by his "I don't grieve."

Arkadiy lived in Ukraine for just one year and only recently did he gradually begin to get used to the place and embrace it. He stressed that he was a foreign citizen and never commented on our Ukrainian squabbles, never tkain sides in our seemingly eternal dispute about victories and failures.

Recently, Arkadiy would often write he doesn't  want to go back to war again, but, in fact, he never really left the battlefield

Roman Tsymbaliuk