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Self Defense Think Tank

New Strategies for an Invaded People

Published in

The Gentle Revolution

16 min readMar 8, 2022

(note July 2022) The escalation of the war has made some suggestions in this article outdated, others have been implemented, and several have been improved and expanded upon by many, like the use of drones and tapping phone calls of desperate Russian soldiers with their family at home, talking about the mess they’re in. I still leave this article, as some ideas might be applicable to help prevent escalation in other regions around the world, or may lead to further innovations in self defence.

Dear Ukrainians,

The 21st century has returned to 20th century warfare with modern weapons. Putin lied to his soldiers, to his people, to the world.

This is the big question:

How to rattle the morale of Putin’s troops? What new possibilities are available, that weren’t in previous wars?

Давайте задамося питанням: як підірвати моральний дух путінських військ? Які нові можливості доступні, яких не було в попередніх війнах?

There’s the military aspects, and supplying the troops. So many are focussed on that. But there’s non military resistance too, like the psychological games that may boost own morale and disturb Russian morale. This blogpost focusses on that offering ideas. Consider what (more) actions may help. Ask or form real think tanks to add ideas. Connect psychologists, social scientists, marketeers, movie makers among you and put them in one room.

Sadly, as the war turns more and more grim, hopeful solutions become more and more impossible.

I. For Russians against the war.

All ideas that also may help to eh, ‘stop the unpleasantness somewhere, because eh, you know who’ (Russians are forbidden to use the word war) are marked with a *.

Influencing the Russians at home.

Russian’s people should be helped to see the lies.

The logic of Putin’s fast changing narrative should make people wonder. Help them remember that it changes a lot.
Show the conflicting images between story and reality.

Make the gap between Putin’s story and reality bigger*

The Russian people heard: “We go bring Ukraine (also Russians) back into Mother Russia’s warm embrace ..and we’ll liberate Ukraine from a Nazi regime.” Then all Ukrainians, under a Jewish president, fight them. What small regime then? Are the Ukrainians all brothers, or all nazi’s? Or is the story wrong? What story next? The “liberators” are bombing cities of ‘their brothers’ away?

Make the gap between propaganda and reality experiential*

Collect series of pictures of damaged towns and cities, showing Putin’s army does target homes, and levels rather than ‘liberates’. Preferably use pictures with Ukrainian flags or Ukrainian troops in it, so Putin can’t claim the pictures represent Donbas. Or show older refugees cursing the Russians, so they see normal people being hit. (this idea indeed has been done)

For now Putin is waving the Russian flag fascist like. Soon it’ll be, “let the death of our fallen comrades not be in vain.” Then the counter story is, because they either fight or get executed by their officers. Russia’s army runs on fear. No mother wants to hear that story. Nor see and know what crimes their sons are committing.

Think out of the box*

Art has the quality of being ambiguous. Many artists within oppressing situations hid messages of hope for the general public and criticisms against the ‘leaders’ within their work. In the Eighties members of Pomaranczowa Alternatywa (Orange Alternative) in Poland stood out for their whimsical approach to protest and their creative use of the absurd. In marches as Orange Dwarfs, or just parading these orange Garden Dwarfs, there was no fighting the communistic government, and yet, they helped to create space for more liberties and more daring protests.

Who will arrest these Orange Gnomes as protest against seemingly nothing?

Who would arrest Dwarfs, that didn’t march for an unwanted outcome!? It may have been an important key to the birth of the real Polish Unions that broke down Polish communism. It gave people a sense, of the possible.

Further reading: “Blueprint for Revolution” by Srdja Popovic. Also there were many smart resistance tricks against ‘the Party’ during Soviet times. Ask the old people!

Bits of this article we copy pasted from earlier writings on this topic. Though written for social ecological activism, some tricks (may) work everywhere.

II. The Tricks

Get them to desert!

It’s a risk, desertion may get you shot. But fighting a senseless war also gets you killed. Meanwhile, we know in many West European countries there are shortages of cheap workers, like for harvesting asperges, bring mail around. Belgium already made such an invite. What if with help of the EU Russian soldiers were invited to desert in exchange for jobs in the West? It may help Ukraine get rid of a prisoners problem. We give them nice touring cars, drive them through Poland to Germany, Netherlands and more countries and give these young conscripts that deserted a life (in tents or simple simple buildings). Part of their fees then will be collected to pay for damages to Ukraine. This could all be negotiated with the West.

What others messages will get them to flee? And isn’t it crazy that their officers have to threaten to kill anyone not following orders? This means all their soldiers are caught between two fires. How to make running easier? How to get this news to their parents? So that resistance in Russia against Putin can grow.

The Flag

Change the Russian flag. Let its red bleed. Make a flag, with Putin as Tsar. Turn the flag into a fascist flag. I think this might worry Putin the most, as he claimed Neo Nazis were running Ukraine. Or just paint on it: “We promised not to shoot civilians. We promised to liberate, not to occupy.” This version will shame them. Spread this flag, via social media and or hang it in occupied towns.

Best Use of Own Talent

A lot of ideas are going around. But many untrained men don’t make a good army. What if one would consider better, which skills new recruits have that can be used even better, for a bigger difference? Like joining the IT army, or managing distribution.

Internet & Social Media

This one is already being well underway, with about 300.000 people from all around the world joining Ukraine’s IT army. It started with: reviewing Russian restaurants on google maps, with information about the reality of the war in Ukraine. It now extends to Web attacks, DDos attacks, intruders, scanners, anonymizers and more. Another one is helping Russians getting the news is a Ukrainian hotline where worrying parents can ask if their child is taken prisoner or found. Thus they also hear more truth about the invasion.

What more ways can the Russian population be send thousands of photo’s, news images of the reality, bombed city of their neighbors?

How to get more people from around the world, like Anonymous is doing, to help online? How to make instructions for simple actions more available?

The truth is a weapon in a country living in a lie. But also more lies can create more confusion, like all the conspiracy theories did about Covid-19.

Make fake Russian websites?

With pages Putin doesn’t want his people to see. And what gets visited the most? Porn, luxury, offers ‘only free today!’, leadership training? Through VPN’s one can play to be Russian.

Also go to the Yes-men and see how they use various techniques, to disturb big nasty corporations that think they can get away with it. One of their actions cost Dow Chemicals 3 billion in a few hours! What can you do with this? Which company to hit? What if major Putin allies send out press releases to state media they want out of the war? Want Putin replaced? Or use likely messages: “We support Putin’s war, because he promised us billions in oil and gas when we win!” “We support Putin receiving the title of Tsar.” That should anger normal Russians. When such companies deny, “No, Putin doesn’t want to be a tsar”, the idea already is alive.

What more can be done with social media? Share ideas, or ask the world to help when you find a trick that works, share it with people everywhere, so millions can join. Like Tiktoks, great simple actions may go viral and get millions engaged. Be sure to add simple instructions anyone can follow.

Send Women to Peace Negotiations.

(Idea from a good friend) If the Russians can’t be trusted, or don’t budge one bit, why not send only women to the negotiations? Send nurses, mothers, teachers who personally saw the damage done to civilians. Perhaps let them bring pictures of the dead, of the damages. Let these negotiators face the consequences of their actions, rather than talk with hard men very similar to them. If they can’t face them, at least international press will understand and have a story few can ignore.

Let Putin’s soldiers face it on the streets.

I think it’s important that his soldiers don’t just drive into towns and find everyone hiding only to come out, when the war rages elsewhere. When they face (non violent) things they can’t explain, can’t unsee, can’t process, they’ll have extra worries. When you make your own ideas, having a sense of what will embarrass them, and what they therefore would love to avoid, helps.

Also true: the more troops they have to leave behind to guard people, the less they have for the front. Even when that guarding makes no sense, like in places where no one wants to fight with weapons.

Make photo exhibitions online or along streets, or in village squares, Russians will come to see. Find out which most rattle his soldiers minds, like,

A 1000+ photos of victims along a long street. Put at the end of the street a pay off like in advertising. Here are some suggestions: “You are committing war crimes on orders of a fascist.” “Who is the fascist now?” “Putin said they his troops weren’t shooting at children. He lied. What more does he lie about?” “If you see the damages Putin ordered you to make, fear the revenge.”
A 1000+ portraits of Russian conscripts taken prisoner, with the quote, “We thought we were send on exercises.” Pay off: “Your leader used them as cannon fodder. You too?” “Wear your mothers phone number with you, so we can call her when we get you.” (or start calling as many Russians as you can, from basements during shootings, so they can hear, what is happening.)
Put pictures of Putin’s Golden Palace, and his most luxurious photo shoots on a village town square . “What are you fighting for? Russia or one’s man’s ego?” Add photoshopped images of Putin as Tsar? Or Hitler?

Putin’s Palace build for him near the Black Sea, including luxurious nightclub.

Put pictures of Putin speaking to his cabinet on a distance. “They all fear him. So who is the real dictator here?”
Paint dead victims all over a town, like crime scene pictures, with names and ages in them they may check on social media. Paint them on a village street, so the Russians have to literally drive over them. Because that is what they do.
Home made road signs can also be powerful, especially when they are many and they get personal. And many volunteers can paint them for zones to be invaded. “Wanna die for Putin’s glory, drive on.” “Following orders like the Nazi’s did? Who are the fascists here?” “Blowing up cities, because we choose to not be Putin’s friend? Any idea how insane that logic is?” I bet you have a 1001 ideas more. My tip is to not just insult, make ‘m think, make ‘m worry, make ‘m question what they do. Hate will be answered with hate. It’s the speaking to their hearts & minds that will have effect.

CHECK

Check later, (like through inconspicuous old ladies talking to Russian soldiers when she brings them some watery soup) what pictures/strategy made them most uncomfortable? What made their officers most fierce order it to be put away? Because those are the ones that works best. Or see which one don’t they dare touch?

Also check which ideas make your people most exited to work on? What gives them most the sense they help to make a difference in very dark times?

Peaceful Protest once they occupy a town

NB: Actions behind enemy lines should always be voluntary. Many civilians might be too traumatized and need human warmth more than anything else. Ideas can only be developed and executed by people who want and feel they can.

Many different strategies are being tried. Like other communities sang to Russians occupying town hall. Perhaps this time go all dressed up as angels. Let the Russians be seen around the world, shooting or beating up angels. *) For Russians: sing the Ukrainian anthem? Didn’t Putin claim they are the same people? ;) (this idea sadly drowns as the war gets daily more grim)

‘Go Crazy’*. Do things the Russians will have a hard time to forbid, and will confuse them. With your whole village go crazy. Everyone start wearing carrots on your clothing. Wave Russian flags with a heart cut out in the middle, as Russia behaves heartless.

Here’s a whole article about protests* (Russians consider this one too, when talking about the war is forbidden). Some ideas come from this article.

Military Intelligence

What do you want to know? Where they are. What they plan. And you want to know what might instigate actions, that would lose them men from the front, or have them walk into traps. Drones have turned out to make a huge difference. They’ll be looking. What more might be done?

Technical tools. Find and place little remote camera’s that work on long life batteries and hide them in places where they may see Russian troops gather, both outside and inside big buildings. Hide microphones in places they might conquer, in the rooms officers would confiscate or use for meetings.
Inform your government where their troops are.
Paranormal tools. Don’t discard this immediately. Listen to this guy Jim Channon, (watch from 51:54 and you immediately get what value lies in his crazy, using it to keep his soldiers safe on patrol). He also went to another level, working to put play, spirituality against the ‘enemy’, or trying to predict enemy locations. Here is his field manual written after his tour in Vietnam to create a different kind of soldier. For people who can’t, won’t be good with guns, it wouldn’t hurt to put 10 intelligent men and some women on exploring this and see what they come up with.

Wasp Tactics.

There’s a SF novel ‘Wasp’ (Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld series of fantasy books stated that he “can’t imagine a funnier terrorists’ handbook.”) about one man, who makes the enemy think there’s a huge resistance movement behind enemy lines. Consider how you might do that.

The Ukrainian military might make ‘mistakes’ that may lure the Russians to attack empty fields, or gets them to drive into ambushes.

Individuals can make secret signs of a large new resistance organization, spread rumors.

What if the ‘secret’ organization was a desertion pipeline? Think like the railroad that helped slaves in the USA to free territory. This could be an organization helping Russian escapees fed up with being used as cannon fodder for a tyrant. The organization could even be real or fake. It could get a nice number of soldiers wandering away. Like place clear letters to Russian soldiers, in houses they might plunder, with phone numbers to call if you want to desert. Do this in enough houses, and Russian officers might even forbid plunder, for fear soldiers find ways to escape service. This could be another benefit.

Expose.

If you have information that might make a difference, share it! But don’t spread lies to speed up things, because when the lie catches up, you’ll have damaged your reputation and the opposition has new ammunition to deny all your claims.

Spook ‘m

Put scarecrows where they don’t expect it, like in a forest barely visible from the street. It makes soldiers fear things are happening. Use scarecrow loud noises, or hidden, hard to reach speakers, speaking truths they won’t like to hear, near places where they sleep. Service from a safe distance. Use sheets to leave ghosts in fields and or bombed buildings they’ll have to take. Make smoke in (harmless) places they’ll need to investigate. Place objects that’ll make ‘m nervous. Beware of finger prints. The more soldiers have to deal with (silly) issues away from the front, the less they can spare for the front.

Grow your own Food

It may already be too late for this one. But food may get short in supply. But if not, start prepping more consciously. Here’s one link to one prepper video. The Americans have thousands more with ideas.

Speaking to the soul, rather than the mask

A final approach is to focus on speaking to the hearts of all those involved. Ask the key players and their staff, ask their soldiers: What do you truly live for? How would you like to be remembered? Would you trade places with anyone who has to live with consequences of your decisions? What’s your real passion? What in your heart would you like to be spoken to? What part of your heart would you like to dare speak or act from? Ask the questions that hit home, that call out the human inside.

Try and meet that heart and start the dialogue from there.

This method helped very much to prevent a lot of escalation in Egypt, where police refused to shoot at protesters, when the people rose up against Mubarak.

Morale Boosts for those in basements or occupied areas.

We learned from even darker places, like Nazi and Japanese concentration camps, singing together, sharing stories, or working together on something that helped gave people spirit that helped to survive. What more can they do, like school children making camouflage nets, that helps the soldiers above ground? What activities, like gym, singing, performing for each other can help maintain a good mood, let alone takes their mind of matters for a bit?

III. Addition*

Tips from social resistance groups from around the world.

Not all are made for violence. Not all should handle weapons. And many may face a harsh occupation. What can be done in such situations, that help?

Prepare With Stealth

If they know your plan, they’ll find their own strategy to counter it. Once they do, make new plans or change plans and approaches a lot.

Police and secret services love to plant agitators in protestors ranks, to help them push over limits, that make them look bad, or help their interests, regardless of innocent victims. It’s not for nothing most protests have security too, protecting against agitators crossing lines, they don’t want to cross. Have a plan, have a core team, have crystal clear plans and make sure the other side doesn’t see it coming, let alone doesn’t have a strategy to tackle it.

Courage.

Social Courage is needed and determination. Because the obstacles will be big and the journey can be very long. The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo have been rallying since 1977 and the founders were murdered. Harriet Tubman and millions others have been part of resistance movements to save human lives against brutality. And, as Gandhi showed, determination and courage can move mountains, or in his case the British Empire out of India.

Values and principles to make a revolution, for those that want to stay out of the fight, (a few will apply for fighters too).

Non Violence is essential. Fundamental. Violence begets trauma, exclusion and hidden resentments, making long term solutions more difficult and often leading to suppression to prevent possible uprisings or vengeful actions of the ‘losing side’.
The more leaders the better. The closer to a revolution truly ‘by and for the people’ the better. And be warned, the usage of these words is not the same as these words being true. Involve everyone by empowering them. Also a resistance movements with no leaders, means one can’t cut the head off. This worked well for the Zapatistas in Southern Mexico.
The higher the integrity of your leaders, the better. Our hearts can distinguish real leaders from politicians. Real integrity shines. It gets respected the world over. You can negotiate with such leaders.
The best solutions are inclusive and pragmatic. The suppressing side must see that peace can be negotiated with their honour and, at the least some, wealth intact. Only then will they become willing to accept, let alone negotiate, a new reality.
The more directly the difference is noticeable, the better. A revolution that begins with people restoring what has been wronged, is the best kind. It shines so much better than a call to arms and offers so much more hope and clarity for everyone that this is the needed alternative.
Take care of the essentials first. Clean water, food, roofs for everyone, electricity are essential needs. When a revolution won’t take care of the essentials for its people, then it’s not much different as an elite robbing its people blind with a promise of ‘trickle down’.

To all Ukrainians, stay safe, stay strong, may all Gods support your struggle.

If you think this article may help: here’s the friend link to share it for free: https://medium.com/the-gentle-revolution/self-defense-think-tank-704ac274be8e?source=friends_link&sk=3ed0163173f4089330ea4263fce37190

BONUS: 2 Soviet Jokes*

For the Russians, two old Soviet time jokes that work again. Understand that such jokes help identify a general sense of resistance against the regime. Often those who laugh, may share similar opinions. The more people laugh about a certain crazy, the more they realize they’re not alone in this.

A Russian drives to the west. A European asks him, “How bad is it under Putin?” Says the Russian, “Oh, we can’t complain.”

Putin decides to speak with an average Russian about how things are. Putin meets Pjotr. Putin asks; “Pjotr, my old friend, how are you?” Pjotr replies very carefully, “Not as good as we hoped.” Putin tries to understand, “Not good eh? Let me tell you, I know not good. I give my wife diamonds, she complains. She says, ‘everybody has diamonds.’ So I burn the diamonds and buy her sapphires. But Pjotr, enough about me, more about you. How are you?” Pjotr, “My wife complains too.” Putin, “Tell me about it. I buy my wife a red Ferrari. She says, ‘Everybody has a red Ferrari.’ I get angry. I drive her up a mountain. We step out of the car, I push it over the cliff and call a helicopter to pick us up. And I say to her, ‘I’ll buy you a Golden Maserati!’ But enough about me, Pjotr, what about you?” Pjotr mumbles, “My wife, she complains about food. We don’t eat.” Putin laughs, “How silly! You should eat!”