Russian troops attacked other Russian troops early Friday, destroying nine tanks and four armored vehicles in the “friendly fire” incident, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“Just now in the Kiev region, near Severinovka, Russian occupation troops started a fight with… Russian occupation forces. As a result, 9 tanks and 4 BTR were destroyed thanks to ‘friendly fire,’ the ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post. “That saved us 13 Javelin accordingly.”
The post went on to mock the Russian forces, encouraging them to “continue in this spirit.”
“The Armed Forces of Ukraine understand the manifestation of such suicidal tendencies among the occupiers and ask them to continue in this spirit,” the post added. “And we recommend the mothers of the Russian Federation to find out where their sprayings are now – in the lists of disposed occupiers or in the meantime among the living. But it’s only by will. You may not make it up. Anyway, all of them will be on the same list, but in different cellophane bags.”
A top Ukrainian official said talks between Ukraine and Russia are proving to be difficult, but that they would continue, according to TASS, a Russian news agency.
“The stance of the Russian Federation is tough <…>. But the position of the Ukrainian Commander-In-Chief and Ukraine as a whole is also tough. So, the negotiations will go hard, but they will continue,” Adviser to the Head of the President’s Office Mikhail Podolyak reportedly said during a press briefing on Friday.
Podolyak said that while Ukraine understands Russia’s position and is willing to engage in negotiations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would not make concessions that “diminish Ukraine’s battle for territorial integrity.”
According to USA Today, thousands of Russian citizens across the country have risked prison to protest Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Since the invasion began, over 8,000 Russians have reportedly been taken into police custody for antiwar activities.
In response to the dissent, the Russian parliament passed a law on Friday allowing citizens to be punished for spreading what the Kremlin deems “fake news” regarding the invasion in Ukraine. Violators face up to 15 years in prison.
Russian officials have also forced journalists to call the attack on Ukraine a “military operation of demilitarization,” essentially forbidding them from using the term “war.”
“It becomes dangerous to cover news in Ukraine,” Olga Bychkova, Echo of Moscow’s deputy editor in chief, told USA TODAY. She noted that Russia’s new law targeting speech is “blurry” and “allows authorities to go after anybody.”
