A child goes into a captured armored vehicle that was exhibited in Kyiv as part of the proof of Russian military presence in Ukraine. Image by Geovien So at Demotix.
An anonymous account on Twitter claiming to be a Russian soldier at a military hospital in a Russian town is providing undercover reports on the wounded brought from the frontlines in Ukraine.
The account, @ponimaem [1], started tweeting on Thursday, February 26. The bio says simply “ну вы же понимаете в какой стране живем?” (“You do understand what kind of country we live in?”) and the avatar features an anonymous person in a mask holding their finger to their lips, as if to underscore the anonymity of the author.
Уже больше месяца я лежу в военном госпитале в одном из городов России и постоянно слышу разговоры про донецк и луганск
— понимаем (@ponimaem) February 26, 2015 [2]
For over a month I've been a patient at a military hospital in one of Russia's towns, and I constantly hear talk of Donestk and Lugansk.
The anonymous soldier says [3] he's using his hospital neighbor's laptop and a VPN connection to send the tweets. While the user doesn't have access to any papers of the wounded brought in, he has promised [4] to provide more proof of being in the hospital.
Я действительно нахожусь в военном госпитале, куда ночью привозят бойцов ДНР и ЛНР pic.twitter.com/T3CmQrC3kV [5]
— понимаем (@ponimaem) February 26, 2015 [6]
I really am at a military hospital, where DNR and LNR fighters are being brought at night. [Image of sheets with typical military hospital insignia]
Although the soldier says he himself has only served inside Russia and never went to Ukraine, his rationale for making his observations public, he says, is to “exculpate some of the guilt [7]” of being part of the “Russian world” fighting in Ukraine.
The user says wounded fighters are brought in every night, under cover of darkness, in secret. While he isn't sure in every case whether they're soldiers of the regular army, volunteers or mercenaries, @ponimaem [1] writes the doctors always get to them last, usually after 9:00 p.m., and their arrival and treatment [8] are always covert.
Каждую ночь к нам в госпиталь привозят на машинах без опознавательных знаков по 3-4 борца за русский мир
— понимаем (@ponimaem) February 26, 2015 [9]
Every night 3-4 fighters for the “Russian world” are brought to our hospital in cars without any insignia.
Users’ reactions to the account have been mixed, with some praising the anonymous whistleblower's bravery, and others accusing him of treason. @ponimaem [1] says he's aware of the danger of being found out, but feels like talking about the things he sees is something he has to do.
Я прекрасно понимаю, что меня могут обвинить в измене родине за такие слова, но лучше так, чем потом будет стыдно смотреть детям в глаза.
— понимаем (@ponimaem) February 26, 2015 [10]
I understand very well that I can be accused of treason for these words, but better do this then look my children in the eye with shame later.
Being able to create and maintain anonymous accounts on social media remains a key guarantee of freedom of expression, especially in countries where free speech is under threat. Russia's recent suggestions of restricting access to anonymization and circumvention tools such as Tor, VPNs, and proxy-servers, as well as the Kremlin's continued pressure on Twitter [11] to disclose user data put anonymous whistleblowers like @ponimaem [1] under direct threat.