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2 months ago
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AN ARMY of brave Ukrainian women risk their lives daily to dismantle Vladimir Putin’s propaganda war machine and poison his troops.
At least 1000 of the “Zla Mavka” saboteurs, hidden in plain sight in every occupied region of the country, work tirelessly to anger and disrupt Russian forces.
The Zla Mavka logo, founded in 2023 by three women
Zla Mavka
Zla Mavka
Zla Mavka
Zla MavkaThey are hunted daily in Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk and take every precaution in hiding their identities, not contacting each other directly and never sharing their faces online.
The Sun spoke to one of the group’s founders, who for security reasons could only go by “Mavka”, a nickname given to each woman in the organisation.
Mavka said: “While resistance continues in the occupied territories, it means that Russia doesn’t win.
“They want to break everyone here mentally. While our resistance continues, it means that they are losing.
“We’re laughing at the Russians all the time. We are showing them that we are not afraid.
“We p**s them off, and I like this. Every day we are reminding them that you’re in Ukraine. This is not Russia and never will be.”
Started in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia in February 2023, the group quickly went from three women to 200 and now has at least 800 more in a broad network across Ukraine.
An “all-female Ukrainian non-violent resistance movement”, the women aim to disrupt Putin’s armies as much as possible from their vantage point in enemy territory.
Last year they even spiked homemade vodka with laxatives that they gave to Russian troops as a Christmas gift.
They put out leaflets and newspapers ripping apart Putin’s war propaganda, burn Russian flags, splash anti-Russian graffiti around towns and share information online.
On Ukraine’s Independence Day, August 24, they reprinted scores of Russian banknotes with images of Ukrainian troops and Putin’s beloved Crimean Bridge being blown up on the front.
Everything, even one leaflet, is very dangerous
'Mavka'Scattering them across pavements, Russians would pick them up and be faced with an image of Ukrainian defiance.
Mavka, in her mid-30s, told how Russian soldiers in their towns fight, even shoot one another, get drunk and harass Ukrainian women on the streets.
She said: “There is a real hunting for us, so we’re trying to do everything to stay safe.
“We operate on all occupied territories in Crimea, in Donbas, in Luhansk, even in those cities that are occupied for more than 10 years.
“We are spreading our leaflets with messages for the Russians, we are spreading stickers, graffiti with the Ukrainian symbols, Ukrainian poetry, a handmade weekly newspaper with real news.
“Russian propaganda is extremely strong, and a lot of people here don’t have the opportunity to read real news.”
The female operatives spread their materials through “houses, post boxes, streets, and parks,” so people can find out what is really happening in Ukraine.
Mavka said all their sabotaging activities are “done with humour”, although they are “risking their lives every day” under occupation.
“Everything, even one leaflet, is very dangerous”, she said.
“Russians are using more and more methods to catch us. That’s why we have to be more creative every time.”
Russians are using more and more methods to catch us. That’s why we have to be more creative every time
'Mavka'Mavka, laughing, told how the group poisoned a horde of Russian troops in an undisclosed location with laxatives.
She said: “On some holidays, like Easter or Christmas they’re [Russian troops] starting to drink alcohol much more, and starting to celebrate.
“That’s why there are a few Mavkas, who are making very s****y, homemade vodka.
“And we put in there a lot of laxatives.”
Mavka said, “We sent it to soldiers with grateful words like, ‘Thank you for liberating us’.
“‘You’re so good, boys’, and of course they’re very happy, they drink it and I hope they had a really fantastic night.”
She warned: “There will be more actions like this we are preparing right now.”
Zla Mavka’s operations are all conducted through Telegram, with a chatbot that enables the women to open virtual “cabinets” where the leaders issue resistance tasks.
Identities on both sides are always kept anonymous under the constant fear of Russian arrest.
Russian channels on the platform have raged against the group’s activities and vowed to take them down.
The group’s logo pictures three women, in the centre is the inspiration figure Mavka – a female spirit from Ukrainian folklore who lures men into the woods and “tickles” them to death.
The saboteur organisation says: “The Russian army is carrying out a genocide in Ukraine. Every day it tortures and rapes and kills.
“The system Moscow wants to bring to occupied Ukraine is based upon fear and oppression – and it believes that women are second class citizens, who belong in the home.
“Mavka stands as a living symbol of defiance to all of this. Dedicated to Ukraine, dedicated to resistance, and, perhaps above all, to bearing witness.”
War in Ukraine
VLADIMIR Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine began 10 years ago in February 2014.
The dictator’s forces occupied and annexed Crimea – despite international outcry – claiming it as Russian land.
They supported pro-Russian forces fighting in the Donbas regions and seized towns in the east of the region.
Eight years of bloody conflict followed as Putin’s armies forced themselves into areas of Ukraine, claiming they were Russian territory.
Then in February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion and began to take more land by force.
Putin described it as a a “special military operation” to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine.
In the two and a half years since, Putin’s troops have forced the people of Ukraine to live under occupation in Crimea, the Donbas and Luhansk.
The bloody war has seen Russia lose more than half a million soldiers, Ukraine claims, along with tens thousands of vehicles and hundreds of aircraft.
Kyiv’s forces have fought a brave and impressive battle, holding their own against Russia’s much larger forces and keeping them at bay along much of the border.
In August 2024 Ukraine even invade Russian territory, bursting into Kursk and humiliating Putin with impressive gains along a new frontline.
Mavkas use syringes and funnels to prepare the spiked vodkaZla Mavka
Zla Mavka leaflets left at a beach in an occupied part of Russia – possibly CrimeaZla Mavka
Propaganda leaflets and state newspapers from Russia are set alightZla Mavka
A poster made by Zla Mavka women shows a woman in traditional Ukrainian dress stamping on the head of a Russian soldierZla Mavka
Zla Mavka
English (US)