Author: Альона Шевченко
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Sorry but writing a 🧵 about journalists covering 🇺🇦 without a single 🇺🇦 one is patronising as hell and just wrong on every level. Ukrainians have the experience of dealing with 🇷🇺 that Western experts and journalists are fortunate to not have. twitter.com/brik_t/status/…
Finally, it’s not hard from my timeline to assemble Ukrainian voices that should be read and heard, with the caveat that they’re inside the fight, and tend to write and speak with the bias of those who are being oppressed and invaded.
— Link
One of the key weapons of russian disinformation campaign is using "experts" whose knowledge of Ukraine is limited to what they know through russian propaganda sources. They are not objective. They are often either clueless or their integrity has been compromised.
Let me illustrate what @GicAriana means in this tweet.
Once I came across a 🧵 with the list of best "reporters" covering Ukraine. On the list there isn't a single Ukrainian journalist - because they "speak and write with the bias of those oppressed and invaded". See 1/ ☝️
Many western journalists and experts wrote and said all manner of Kremlin favourable stuff against Ukraine. They parroted lies. I challenged them. I got called a “crazy” “Russophobe” “bitch” and worse. I wanted the TRUTH to prevail, not be cozy with liars.
— Link
However, the list has @ChristopherJM on it - absolute charlatan.
I couldn't believe my eyes but thought maybe if I let the author of the 🧵 know that it's what wrong to have @ChristopherJM on that list, he'll reconsider.
Response: "this is my list and I'm sticking by it"
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1/ I can't believe this guy has the audacity to be posting this.
— Link
@ChristopherJM has Ukrainian blood on his hands.
He is personally responsible for creating a completely wrong perception of @Polk_Azov for the Western audience, describing them as "Ukrainian Nazis".
#ꑭ https://t.co/ShZIlQvEFt
"I don't know who you are" - maybe try looking up "Alona Shevchenko Ukraine DAO" in google.com: Google so you can find out
unsolicited advice on where to direct energy
If an "expert" doesn't understand the damage of spreading lies about 🇺🇦, they need a different job
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@MuKappa and I keep a list with these "experts" and "unbiased sources" - featuring @Reuters, the biggest 🇷🇺 fake news agency in the world
Which 🇷🇺 parrots are paid and which ones are being idiots for free is irrelevant - same consequences ukraine-dao.notion.site: Foreign Assets - Twitter
Here’s what happened when I once said in a Twitter Space that @Reuters spread 🇷🇺 propaganda - 🧵👇
I started from carefully qualifying my statement first and said that I know there are a lot of excellent journalists and photographers who have contributed to @Reuters.
1/ A few people have asked me what happened today, so I'd like to explain. There was a conversation happening in @walter_report Twitter Spaces about @Reuters.
— Link
Both me and @gujingc started our comments from saying that we are aware that not all @Reuters journalists are corrupt. https://t.co/oR2xbQe3XG
After I explained why I call @Reuters 🇷🇺 propaganda and why I say that #ReutersLies, I also had to listen to this 👇
3/ One of the gentlemen in the spaces got hella triggered and started shouting at me. I was told that my attitude stinks, that it shouldn't matter that I'm from Ukraine and all sorts of other inappropriate, tonedeaf things were said.
— Link
I’m not entirely sure why we are expected to act with exemplary manners and class during #GenocideOfUkrainians - but we are.
After this incident many people told me the guy has a “good heart” (?) so I shouldn’t be upset.
They didn’t give the same energy to calling him out.
4/ After he finished, I said that it's completely unacceptable to not be able to control yourself like that in the presence of Ukrainian people who are going through a genocide and that if I manage to maintain composure then he should be able too.
— Link
I should be able to retrieve the full recording of that conversation soon but here’s what he said when he came back - that was already when he “calmed down”.
Spoiler alert: he shouted at me more.
@jakmierzejewski @OSINT88 Here's a clip of him coming back to shout at me more after having already shouted at me for quite a long time. Happy to publish a full recording of that conversation. https://t.co/YsMSQFbe84
— Link
Next time I call this guy out, he comes up with “I warmed you too many times” and starts threatening “lEgAL aCtION” 🤣
I’m still waiting to learn - what is it that I was warned about? If someone finds out - please let me know, I’m very curious!
6/ ✨ I was today years old when I found out about @OSINT88 attempts to warn me
— Link
✨ Not the best person to be threatened by legal action. I have 2 law degrees with distinction - one from 🇺🇦 and one from 🇬🇧, worked in litigation for years & have a team of lawyers at my disposal😂 https://t.co/6dbYD3YBK8
“Slander” basically means making false (!) statements that damage someone’s reputation, BTW
I’m not sure what from what I’ve said so far would qualify as slander, but maybe the imaginary lawyers of this guy can tell me - I’m still waiting to hear from them🙃
7/ I'm a lawyer myself.
— Link
Not a single word of what I have said about @OSINT88 qualifies as slander.
Any lawyer who takes a case against a Ukrainian person suffering from abuse online during genocide will completely shatter their reputation.
Nice try though👍 https://t.co/DCzXd0T0nz
Now, interesting turn of events:
❣️After multiple episodes of shouting, absolutely groundless lawsuit threats and my attempts to address all this with him privately - it turns out he is actually the victim here
❣️People in the comments in his account feel awful for him 🙂
9/ Imagine having enough audacity to:
— Link
✅ abuse a 🇺🇦 person in public during genocide
✅ threaten them with legal action as they defend another 🇺🇦
✅ never apologise for any of the above
✅ play victim https://t.co/lZnHXFIQwL
Eventually I did hear back from this knowledgable “expert” 👌
❓You think he finally acknowledged what was wrong and apologised (which I would’ve gladly accepted)?
❌ He threatened “lEgAL aCtIOn” again and added “You will learn the hard way on all of this.” 🪄
💌 Got a DM from @OSINT88 - "lEgAl aCtIoN iS bEiNg tAkEn" 😂
— Link
✨Don't threaten me with a good time
🎀 Spell check when you try to look menacing and threaten a former litigator - it's "therefore", not "therefor"
💞 Also - what does 88 in your username stand for? https://t.co/xc5sGKpXWk
To summarise the tweet below, I still haven’t been sued for not-sure-what by not-sure-who - the “expert” is so “famous” he can’t tell his name🤣
💡I’m also not aware of a jurisdiction where you can sue someone because your small dick energy makes you think you can do that.
Someone has just asked me if I've been sued in the end haha
— Link
❓Question: Have I been sued by @OSINT88 ?
💡Answer: I'm not aware of a jurisdiction where you can sue someone because your small dick energy makes you think you can do that 😂 https://t.co/2JWxD8EiVN
I’m often told that I’m diverting attention to “myself” from the “real problem”- the war in 🇺🇦
The war in 🇺🇦 would NOT be happening in the first place if the arrogant people in the West listened to us
They didn’t listen in 2014, didn’t listen all these years - and even now.
9/ We should really stop with this nonsense:
— Link
🚩 "Let's not talk about what's up with you, let's talk about UKRAINE" just to proceed to talk about the battles like it's some fucking video game
That's not actually what "supporting 🇺🇦" means
It's gaslighting and I'm sick of it. https://t.co/EwSVDWHsb3
People try to rationalise this consistent pattern in various ways - all of them equally ridiculous
❗️“Professional experts”, “unbiased journalists” and Western “bothsideists” who do not listen to us are just doing virtue signalling
🇺🇦 is better off without such “supporters”
If someone claims to support 🇺🇦, they have to show basic respect to Ukrainians
— Link
❗️I work 24/7, no days off. Barely leave the house. My loved ones are risking their lives every day - to defend 🇺🇦, which is not a real life Call of Duty game to entertain homegrown "OSINT" experts. https://t.co/IvbVqNMO3e
❗️Asking a Ukrainian to ignore & tolerate abuse to avoid "drama" is appeasement politics on a mini scale
❗️Why are you surprised that russians are committing all the horrific war crimes if when seeing Ukrainians verbally abused during genocide, you go after Ukrainians?
4/ I'm bullied online every single day 24/7, which I diligently document.
— Link
Last time #GenocideOfUkrainians happened, russians & co were not held accountable.
People have very short memory so I'm making sure that the way Ukrainians are treated rn is documented and remembered. https://t.co/Qy34HyIfrH
I’ve been blamed for enjoying a “kooshty life in London”
❗️Genocide isn’t “kooshty”
❗️My whole family is in 🇺🇦, and my grandparents are in the town that ruscists are turning into another Mariupol, using the NPP as a cover for their artillery positions
14/ ✨A 🇺🇦 person can live wherever the hell they want and don’t need to explain themselves for it to anyone
— Link
❗️Ukrainians abroad often experience extreme grief and deserve empathy.
@osint88 has shown none of it, trying to guilttrip and belittle me
FYI my whole family is there https://t.co/ueMcVbLpPC
❗️A 🇺🇦 person can live wherever the hell they want and don’t need to explain themselves for it
Also, 🧵I wrote being lectured in public for 500 times:
🧠 Why you should NOT host Twitter Spaces about 🇺🇦 if your ability to empathise with us & maintain composure is impaired👇
1/ 🧠 Why you should NOT host Twitter Spaces involving Ukrainians if your ability to empathise with them & maintain composure is impaired - 🧵
— Link
cc: @MindfulWebz
https://t.co/xoZ5pq0bj2
I wrote a 🧵 about @ChristopherJM & sent to him to show what exactly was wrong - radio silence
⚡️Breaking News for “experts”
If you can’t reassess your view when presented with new information, that’s either low intelligence OR you’re an arrogant Westplainer. Possibly both.
@cryptodrftng @Verotsjka @AdrianBonenber1 @IAPonomarenko Thank you so much for flagging this. What a disgrace. The upshot is that he's made it abundantly clear that what many of us have been warning for years is 100% true: Ukrainian voices are sidelined.
— Link
Lots of people have been asking to heard the recording of the exchange with the so called "knowledgable expert" @OSINT88 so here it is.
If we allow this behaviour during #GenocideOfUkrainians, we shouldn't be shocked about that ruscists get away with invading Ukraine.
⚡️@OSINT88:
— Link
- I couldn't give a flying fuck if you're from Ukraine or France! It doesn't matter where you're from!
A.: - No one's emotions are comparable to the suffering of 🇺🇦 people
It's not appropriate to react like this when I manage to stay composed.
https://t.co/An9GUNt5NM