(CNN) — In years past, the month of August was often greeted in Russia with a degree of wariness, even anxiety. Russians whisper about the “August Curse” to explain the unusually high number of fatal accidents, terrorist attacks, and the outbreak of war.
For a long time, that curse seemed to be removed and almost forgotten, reducing the month to just another hot summer.
But this year, it looks like August is back with a vengeance.
For a start, Russians are seeing an explosive uptick in Ukrainian attacks that have brought the Kremlin’s war home, made Moscow pay the price, and given ordinary Russians a taste of the horrific violence Ukraine has endured since February 2022.
In the Black Sea, Russian military and commercial fleets were attacked by Ukrainian Navy drones this month, threatening Russia’s trade and supply routes.
Every day from August to date, there have been media reports of small but sustained drone attacks targeting official buildings, military installations, or commercial and residential buildings.
According to officials, most of them are being launched from the sky by reinforced air defenses.
“We are all shocked that it is happening here,” an unnamed woman told local media in Moscow.
“But we are not politicians, so we don’t want to comment,” she added.
There has been a crackdown on dissent in Russia, particularly with regard to criticism of the war in Ukraine.
Another woman appeared on local media with her face blurred to protect her identity: “I have two children and I want to stop feeling ashamed because they were born at this time,” she said.
Other Russians now appear to be taking their opposition a step further, as this month saw an unprecedented upsurge in arson attacks against military conscription offices across the country — more than two dozen bomb attacks in just over a week, according to Russian state media.
Officials say vulnerable citizens, such as pensioners, are being tricked into launching attacks by Ukrainian agents posing as police or creditors asking for loans and forcing them to act.
But a source linked to a Russian partisan group denied that Russians were being coerced, telling CNN that the Kremlin wanted to hide growing discontent in society.
“If people weren’t angry with the authorities, they wouldn’t do anything,” the source told CNN.
The second week of August was no less dangerous than the first week, as it witnessed many more deaths and injuries.
A mysterious explosion has occurred at an industrial plant in the small Russian city of Sergiev Posad, about two hours’ drive from Moscow, sending a dark mushroom cloud into the sky.
Authorities insist it was a safety error at a fireworks factory, and have denied reports of sabotage at what was once a leading manufacturer of military optical equipment, such as night vision goggles for rifles.
However, the explosion caused horrific damage: 440 apartments and 20 private homes were damaged, according to Russian state media, 184 cars were destroyed, 84 people were injured, one person was killed, and at least 8 others are still missing.
The curse of August has already returned to Russia.
#returned #revenge #Ukraines #attacks #revive #Russian #fears #August #curse
2023-08-12 17:46:55
