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https://nordictimes.com/world/nafo-a-harassment-network-in-the-service-of-the-ukrainian-war-machine/

World

NAFO – A harassment network in the service of the Ukrainian war machine

The war in Ukraine

Published 15 July 2023
– By Editorial Staff
A "fella" adorns a destroyed Russian tank on display in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The online activist group NAFO was formed to counter “Russian propaganda” on the Internet and to raise money for the Ukrainian war machine.

More recently, the group’s members – known as “fellas” – have been accused of increasingly engaging in outright harassment of those who do not share their views on the righteousness and military superiority of the Ukrainian regime.

According to the movement’s founder, Polish national Kamil Dyszewski, the movement was created more or less by accident last May. Since then, the movement has grown explosively, or as the term is used in such contexts – virally.

– The first “fella” was made on May 19…Somebody called us the new NATO or something like that and I just replied with ‘NAFO’. Then I just took the NATO badge, changed NATO to NAFO and added a head of a ‘fella’ peeking out. And there we are.

The abbreviation NAFO stands for North Atlantic Fella Organization, and a “fella” refers to a Shiba Inu dog, known in internet meme culture as a doge, and made famous in connection with the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. The bottom line is that ordinary “dudes” or “dudettes” can help support the war in Ukraine without leaving the comfort of their homes, computers, and cell phones.

War Propaganda Meets Internet Culture

Its members create cleverly edited images and videos to convey the idea of the invincibility of the Ukrainian army, the inevitability of Russian defeat, or otherwise support the Ukrainian war machine in particular and NATO in general.

 

Below is one of the movement’s members’ contributions, illustrating how the chivalrous and mighty Ukrainian forces easily destroy the advancing “hordes of Russian orcs” with rockets and magic.

 

 

The focus on the ongoing war does not prevent this ‘fella’ from allusions to other political issues.

 

 

On its Twitter channel, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense officially thanked the organization for its fight against “Kremlin propaganda and trolls”.

 

 

On its official website, NAFO sells merchandise in the form of clothing and accessories to raise money for the Ukrainian war machine.

According to various reports, they have managed to raise and donate anywhere from $50,000 to $400,000 to the Georgian Legion, which confirms in a tweet that the “Fellas” are “big supporters of them”.

 

A Harassment Network

Recently, the organization has been accused of increasingly engaging in outright online harassment of dissenters in addition to its “core” activities.

Organized through the Discord chat platform, members use memes and posts to launch mass attacks on Twitter. By sending large numbers of provocative tweets against people who do not share their views, they try to provoke responses that violate Twitter’s rules and can therefore be reported and lead to suspension.

As the group has attracted more American participants from left-wing backgrounds, their targets have shifted to include mainstream conservatives or MAGA supporters, as well as prominent figures such as Tulsi Gabbard and Tucker Carlson.

Despite allegations of harassment, Twitter has yet to take action against NAFO. Critics say the group’s activities undermine trust in Twitter’s reporting system, create a hostile user experience, and chill free speech.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Facts: The Doge Meme

"Doge" is an intentional misspelling of the word "dog" and is most commonly associated with images of the Shiba Inu dog breed.

The origin of the term "Doge" to refer to a dog dates back to June 24, 2005, when the word was first uttered in an episode of Homestar Runners. In the episode "Biz Cas Fri 1", Homestar calls Strong Bad his "d-o-g-e" while trying to distract him from his work.

The most prominent icon of the doge meme is the photos of Shiba Inu dog Kabosu taken by its owner, Japanese preschool teacher Atsuko Sato, in early 2010. The images quickly went viral, leading to countless memes and trends in the decades that followed.

Starting in 2017, ironic doge formats began to take over from the original, innocent version, a trend that continues to evolve.

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/denmark/ukrainian-weapons-factory-in-denmark-citizens-barred-from-appeals/

Denmark

Ukrainian weapons factory in Denmark – citizens barred from appeals

The war in Ukraine

Published 8 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The factory in Skrydstrup, Denmark, will primarily produce rocket fuel for the "Flamingo" cruise missile.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Ukrainian weapons manufacturer Fire Point is establishing a rocket fuel factory in Skrydstrup, Denmark. To expedite the establishment, the Danish government is using a controversial law that bypasses citizens’ right to appeal – and therefore does not need to consider local residents’ concerns.

Just on the other side of the fence from Skrydstrup Air Base, where Denmark’s new F-35 fighter jets are stationed, Ukrainian weapons company Fire Point is set to begin production of solid rocket fuel on December 1st. The announcement came during a press conference with Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (Liberal Party).

— We are proud to welcome them to Denmark. As a country, we are now contributing to ensuring that Ukraine can fight the important battle against the superior power Russia, claims the minister, who has personally visited the company in Ukraine.

Fire Point is behind Ukraine’s new cruise missile “Flamingo”, which according to reports was recently used against a Russian base in Crimea. The weapon reportedly has a range of 3,000 kilometers and has been described by President Volodymyr Zelensky as the country’s “most successful” missile.

It is precisely the solid rocket fuel for this missile that will now be produced in Skrydstrup, where local residents have expressed strong concerns about potential security risks.

“Dialogue” to reassure citizens

To enable the rapid establishment, the Danish government is using the criticized law that removes citizens’ right to appeal and gives authorities free rein to bypass other laws when a project is deemed to serve essential national defense goals or civil preparedness purposes.

Local residents have reacted with concern about having a rocket fuel factory in their vicinity, and a public meeting is being held on Saturday, where both the defense minister and Business Minister Morten Bødskov (Social Democrats) will meet with worried citizens.

— I understand very well the many concerns that potentially arise in and around Skrydstrup, admits Troels Lund Poulsen.

Haderslev’s mayor Mads Skau (Liberal Party) is trying to balance between the government’s decision and dissatisfied citizens’ concerns.

— We will ensure that it remains safe for citizens to live in the area. We do this through dialogue. I have told the ministers that it is important they keep citizens informed about what is happening.

“Hundreds of jobs”

Business Minister Bødskov is careful to emphasize that the factory will create “several hundred jobs”, primarily for unskilled workers.

Despite using the controversial law, he insists that safety will not be compromised:

— The requirements that exist for safety distances to the surroundings we do not touch. The same applies to requirements for transporting rocket fuel. What applies today will also apply tomorrow.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/von-der-leyen-eu-could-send-tens-of-thousands-of-soldiers-to-ukraine/

World

Von der Leyen: EU could send tens of thousands of soldiers to Ukraine

The war in Ukraine

Published 1 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, it is obvious that the EU will continue financing Ukraine's military.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

European leaders are working on what European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls “quite precise plans” for troop deployments in Ukraine following a potential peace agreement.

However, how this would be financed and what powers the troops would have remains unclear.

In an interview with Financial Times, von der Leyen claims the plans have full American support and that President Trump has promised American presence as backup.

— Security guarantees are paramount and absolutely crucial. We have a clear road map and we had an agreement in the White House and this work is going forward very well, states the European Commission President.

According to the EU leader, the troop deployment could involve tens of thousands of European soldiers, supported by American command and control systems. However, exactly how many countries would participate or what their mandate would be is not clear at present.

The plans are said to have been discussed at last month’s meeting in Washington between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders. The same group is expected to meet again in Paris on September 4th, this time at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Sudden confidence in Trump

After European leaders spent months worrying about Trump’s statements about quickly ending the war and reducing American support to Ukraine, von der Leyen now presents him as a reliable partner.

— Putin has not changed, he is a predator. Trump wants peace and Putin is not coming to the negotiation table. He has a negative experience with Putin, more and more Putin does not do what he says, she claims.

Defense ministers from the so-called coalition are said to have met last week according to von der Leyen and “worked out pretty precise plans”. At the same time, she acknowledges that troop deployments are among the most sensitive decisions a nation can make.

— Deploying troops is one of the most important sovereign decisions of a nation, but the sense of urgency is very high. It’s moving forward. It’s really taking shape, says von der Leyen.

Who will pay the bill?

The EU leader signals that EU taxpayers will have to bear a significant part of the financing of Ukraine’s defense even after a peace agreement. The European Commission will examine new funding sources for what she calls “sustainable financing of the Ukrainian armed forces as a security guarantee”.

— After any peace deal, Kyiv would need quite a sizeable number of soldiers and they need good salaries and of course, modern equipment it’s for sure the EU that will have to chip in, she continues.

In addition to existing support, according to von der Leyen “an extra payment” will be provided for the Ukrainian armed forces. Member countries are also urged to use a loan fund of €150 billion for continued weapons purchases for Ukraine.

Despite the ambitious plans, there are still no answers to fundamental questions about how long a potential deployment would last, under what legal framework it would take place, and what happens if not all EU countries want to participate.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/shocking-reports-about-the-ukrainian-army-1-7-million-dead-wounded-and-missing/

World

Shocking reports about the Ukrainian army: 1.7 million dead, wounded, and missing

The war in Ukraine

  • Russian hackers claim to have accessed and leaked what they allege is information from the Ukrainian General Staff's databases.
  • According to this information, Ukraine has lost over 1.7 million soldiers in the fighting since 2022 in the form of dead, missing and wounded.
Published 29 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
According to the hackers' claims, the figure represents a total of 621,000 Ukrainian losses so far in 2025.
4 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The hacker groups Killnet, Palach Pro, User Sec and Beregini claim to have gained access to several terabytes of sensitive information by infiltrating computers and local networks of the Ukrainian General Staff. The database allegedly contains full names of dead soldiers, descriptions of circumstances and locations of their deaths or disappearances, personal data, relatives and photos.

According to these figures, Ukraine is said to have lost 118,500 soldiers in 2022, 405,400 in 2023, 595,000 in 2024 and a record-high 621,000 during the first eight months of 2025. In total, this would amount to approximately 1.7 million lost soldiers.

Three wounded for every killed soldier

Grigory Kryukov, vice chairman of the Russian Union of Afghan and Special Operations Veterans and one of the developers of a mathematical model for calculating losses, emphasizes that the figures should be understood as total losses that include not only dead, but also wounded, prisoners of war and deserters.

According to his calculations, the number of irreversible losses – those who will never return to service – amounts to approximately 400,000. The remainder includes over one million wounded and a smaller proportion of deserters.

Kryukov explained that military assessments typically use a ratio of one to three, meaning that for every soldier killed, three others become unable to continue serving through injuries, capture or desertion.

Ukraine is estimated to be able to mobilize between 1.2 and 1.5 million people. Irreversible losses in the region of 400,000 could thus constitute a very serious problem and risk triggering a systemic crisis in the armed forces and even threaten Kiev’s survival.

Ukraine: “Absurd fake”

In February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CBS News that only 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since 2022, with an additional 380,000 wounded. The figures from the hackers thus present a completely different picture than the losses previously reported from Kiev.

Analyses of losses in the Ukraine war otherwise vary very significantly, with the Russian military consistently reporting higher losses among Ukrainian soldiers than Western assessments. From Moscow’s side, they claim that losses increased particularly after Kiev’s failed counteroffensive in 2023 and that in February they calculated that more than 1.08 million Ukrainian soldiers had been killed or wounded.

Suspicions that Ukraine has concealed its losses have recently also appeared in conventional mass media in the West. For example, French newspaper Le Monde reported last month that “the real death toll is likely much higher” and cited Ukraine’s increasing efforts to build military cemeteries.

Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under the National Security and Defense Council completely rejects the hackers’ claims, dismissing them as lies.

“Kremlin-controlled propaganda outlets are spreading claims that Russian hackers allegedly breached the General Staff’s database and obtained information about ‘1.7 million dead and missing Ukrainian soldiers’ since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In reality, this is an utterly absurd fake, as Ukraine has never had a standing army of 1.7 million personnel throughout its independence”, writes the CCD in a statement.

“The goal of this fake is to demoralize Ukrainians, convince the world of the ‘exhaustion and ineffectiveness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,’ and weaken international support for Ukraine”, they further declare.

“Lost several generations”

Ukrainian parliamentarian Artem Dmytruk has also commented on the reported losses and his picture differs drastically from Kiev’s official position.

“The lists of the missing today contain more than a million people, and of course these people are most likely dead, while their families remain in complete ignorance. The situation is tragic, the situation is frightening”, said Dmytruk in an interview with Russian RT.

He warned that villages have been emptied of men, including elderly and disabled people, and that Ukraine faces “huge losses” and a “demographic crisis”.

“We have lost several generations”, he said, calling for peace on the grounds that both Ukrainians and Russians are dying unnecessarily.

It can meanwhile be noted that Dmytruk today has a very strained relationship with Zelensky’s government. He fled Ukraine in August 2024 and is currently wanted. The charges concern alleged assault of a soldier and a police officer as well as attempting to steal a weapon. From exile, he has taken an increasingly critical stance toward the Ukrainian government and their handling of the war and has often appeared as an expert commentator regarding Ukraine in Russian media.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/culture/woody-allen-added-to-ukrainian-kill-list/

Culture

Woody Allen added to Ukrainian “kill list”

The war in Ukraine

Published 29 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Woody Allen, 89.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

American director and actor Woody Allen has been added to Ukraine’s controversial Mirotvorets list. The reason is said to be his video appearance at a film festival in Moscow.

Woody Allen, 89, has been placed on Ukraine’s disputed Mirotvorets database – also known as the “kill list”. The list describes Allen as an “enemy of Ukraine” and accuses him of participating in “a Russian propaganda event”.

The background is that Allen recently participated via video link in Moscow International Film Week. There he spoke primarily about his long career and his personal experiences as a filmmaker.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry condemned his participation and described it as “a disgrace and an insult to the victims among Ukrainian actors and filmmakers”.

Allen: “Putin is wrong”

As a consequence, the Lviv National Academic Theatre in western Ukraine has canceled planned productions of Allen’s musical Bullets Over Broadway.

The Oscar-winning director has defended his participation and emphasizes that his appearance was not political.

– I believe strongly that Putin is totally in the wrong, Allen said, but stressed that artistic conversations should be able to continue.

Mirotvorets has existed since 2014 and lists people considered to threaten Ukraine’s security or participate in Russian propaganda. The site has long been criticized internationally, as several people added to the list have been subjected to threats, violence and even killed.

Banned from Hollywood

Woody Allen has been the subject of allegations of sexual abuse against his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow, which her mother Mia Farrow claims occurred in 1992.

The alleged abuse was investigated at the time by social services and police, but the case was dropped without charges due to lack of evidence.

In connection with the controversial #MeToo movement, the allegations gained new life and sparked extensive debate, although again without any actual legal proceedings taking place.

Allen has since been effectively banned from Hollywood, but has continued to release films internationally, including Rifkin’s Festival (2020) and Coup de chance (2023).

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Fact: Mirotvorets "death list"

Mirotvorets, which roughly translates to "peacemaker" or "peacekeeper" in English, is a Ukrainian database that publishes names of individuals considered to threaten Ukraine's security or participate in Russian propaganda. The list was started in 2014 and is highly controversial, criticized for lack of transparency and linked to threats and violence against listed individuals.

Among examples of confirmed and notable names on the list are:

  • Alexander Ovechkin, Russian hockey player, listed for his support of Putin.
  • Roger Waters, musician and activist, after statements supporting Russia's position on Crimea.
  • Gerhard Schröder, former German chancellor, listed for "pro-Russian" statements.
  • Viktor Orbán, Hungary's prime minister, placed on the list in 2022.
  • Zoran Milanović, Croatia's president, added for "pro-Russian" comments.
  • Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk, Ukrainian boxers, listed after participating in Russian projects.
  • Anatolij Shariy, Ukrainian opposition politician and journalist.

Sources: Wikipedia ("Myrotvorets"), UNIAN, OSCE, Human Rights Watch.

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