Tim MakJul 2, 2023
Good morning, readers: Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. But, last night the city endured its first air raid in 12 days. As Ukrainians deal with the 493rd day of war, some turn to escapism in the form of tabletop role-playing games. http://counteroffensive.news
The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak | Substack

A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Compelling human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
Tasha Dashkyevich could be forgiven for engaging in a little daydreaming and escapism. Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop roleplaying games are often considered the pastime of nerdy basement-dwellers in suburban homes, not by displaced people seeking a respite from war.
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
But Dashkyevich says that her community has thrived since the Russian invasion began — a small interlude from the trauma and realities of the war.
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
Ukrainian gamers are harnessing the power of these games to heal scars of trauma, build fortitude, foster communities, and preserve their unique cultural identity.
http://counteroffensive.news
The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak | Substack

A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Compelling human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
Dashkyevich is 37, and from Simferopol in Russian-occupied Crimea. She started playing sometime in 2008 after moving to Kyiv, she said, with a “crazy homebrew” hodgepodge of paper and imagination.
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
Official Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks and figurines are expensive in Ukraine, thanks to regional licenses that tend to lump all post-Soviet countries into a single, Russian-dominated region.
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
“​​We were not aware that there are [formal] books, there was one guy who traveled to Kyiv and bought the original dice set, but we were only allowed to look at it, not actually roll it because it was super expensive,” Tasha said.
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
Today, she is an accomplished Game Master with her own YouTube channel, Idearoll, started in 2019. Her favorite game is Call of Cthulhu, based on H.P. Lovecraft’s dark tales of cosmic horror. https://youtube.com/@idearoll
idearoll

Заходять якось Вічний Майстер, Вічний Кіпер та Вічний Гравець до YouTube і…понеслося! Вітаємо! Ми – авторський колектив idearoll – фанати НРІ, творці історій, шукачі пригод, розслідувачі – це все про нас. І про наш канал, що веде підписників через Узбережжя Мечів та Хребти Безумства назустріч пригодам! Часом ми відхиляємося від намічених маршрутів, щоб, наприклад, задмухати 10 свічок, сьорбнути крові на Маскараді, зруйнувати Башту Жаху, приміряти на себе маску Джона, потерпіти Фіаско або втілити в життя ще якесь словесно-рольове шаленство. Тут ми ділимося думками про свої улюблені ігрові системи, а ще багато жартуємо (іноді смішно!). Контент готуємо - як для себе (бо для себе!), адже годноти про улюблене хобі має бути БІЛЬШЕ!!!!!111!1 Ласкаво просимо!

YouTube
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
Read more about Tasha and how TTRPG's are helping out on the homefront at: http://counteroffensive.news
The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak | Substack

A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Compelling human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
Around 2:30 am, Shahed drones and Kalibr missiles attacked the capital while air defense responded. The Counteroffensive’s writers were also awakened by another air raid siren around 7:20 am. It was an eventful night and morning.
https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-reports-taking-down-all-8-drones-3-missiles-fired-overnight/
Ukraine reports taking down all 8 drones, 3 missiles fired overnight

Russia attacked Ukraine with eight Shahed kamikaze drones and three Kalibr cruise missiles on the night of July 2, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
It’s been one week since the attempted Wagner coup, and their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has not been heard from in several days. A camp is being built in Belarus and Russian state media is rewriting the history of the Wagner group in front of Russia's eyes. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/01/world/europe/russia-ukraine-war.html
Ukraine Says It Is Ready for Arrival of Wagner Troops in Belarus

Ukrainian officials have tried to tamp down concerns while heralding their preparations, with President Volodymyr Zelensky nodding to plans for reinforcing the border.

The New York Times
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
President Zelenskyy said the Russians had mined the plant, and Ukrainian intel officials say that Russian troops are leaving the area and telling Ukrainian civilian workers to clear out by July 5.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/01/zelenskiy-warns-russia-could-be-ready-to-provoke-nuclear-plant-explosion
Zelenskiy: Russia may be preparing to trigger nuclear plant explosion

President cites Ukraine intelligence that Moscow has mined Zaporizhzhia nuclear station and sent away staff

The Guardian
Show threadTim Mak
"There is a serious threat because Russia is technically ready to provoke a local explosion at the station, which could lead to a (radiation) release," Zelenskyy said on Saturday at a news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-zelenskiy-says-serious-threat-remains-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-2023-07-01/
Ukraine's Zelenskiy says 'serious threat' remains at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned on Saturday that a "serious threat" remained at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and said that Russia was "technically ready" to provoke a localized explosion at the facility.

Reuters
Jul 2, 2023 at 2:05pmWeb
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
Five of the ZNPP’s six reactors were put into so-called “cold shutdown” in September last year, while the sixth was left in “hot shutdown” to supply power to the plant itself. Cold shutdown is normally used for maintenance purposes. http://counteroffensive.news
The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak | Substack

A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Compelling human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
However, Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine said the Russians had prevented the No. 5 reactor from being put in cold shutdown mode.
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
There’s no doubt that an explosion, one powerful enough to breach the almost 4-foot (1.2 meters) thick containment walls, would be damaging to the immediate environment around the plant. But how bad would it actually be?
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023

The Counteroffensive spoke with our friend Oleksandr Selyverstov, a former nuclear engineer at the nuclear power plant in question.

His analysis is heart-stopping.

Read it at: http://counteroffensive.news

The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak | Substack

A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Compelling human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
"If an explosion caused the cooling pools to vaporize, the fuel rods in the plant could melt down in seven to eight days for reactors on cold shutdown, a hydrogen explosion could cause further structural damage."
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
So what’s going on? The Russians could be planning either an area-denial attack with a limited contamination zone that will then tie up personnel, resources, and money—and take the ZNPP offline, perhaps indefinitely—in a scorched earth retreat.
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023

The Counteroffensive staff are based in Kyiv and if the plant suffers a catastrophic explosion, we have a plan:

Shelter in place and make use of our subscriber funded (THANK YOU SO MUCH) equipment!

Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023

Today's Dog of War is this skeptical beagle Tim saw in Warsaw.

Read the rest of our Sunday newsletter at: http://counteroffensive.news

The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak | Substack

A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Compelling human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023

Editor’s note: This week we posted a story highlighting a trans activist in Ukraine; after all, Russia cited LGBTQ+ rights as a reason for the war.

We didn’t anticipate the negative reaction: more than 1,000 readers unsubscribed, and we lost paid subscribers as well.

Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023

For a publication that is just two months old, it was devastating. We work seven days a week to grow our audience.

However, we believe that subscriber numbers don’t mean anything if we don’t hold true to our values.

Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023

We will continue to highlight marginalized communities and the people you don’t hear about in other outlets. 

Send a message if you agree with us: sign up as a free or paid subscriber today.

Counteroffensive.news

Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023

Our team had been so excited to hit 25k readers subscribed earlier this week.

Now it looks like we will have to make the climb back up again. It’s a set back but we will make it up.

Help us get there?

Counteroffensive.news

Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023

Love our readers!

After I announced that we lost 1k subscribers, merely for posting a story about a trans activist in Ukraine, you rushed in to close the gap.

We're now halfway to our previous peak.

If you haven't signed up, free or paid, please do!

Counteroffensive.news

Show threadTim MakJul 5, 2023

Message received!

After we lost 1k subscribers from posting a story about a trans activist in Ukraine, our readers rallied to fill in the gap.

We are now exceeding our subscriber count from before.

Thank you for supporting us as we stood by our values!

Counteroffensive.news

Show thread🇨🇦 TRH 🇨🇦Jul 5, 2023
@timkmak That's one way to get rid of the riffraff.
Show threadMichał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦Jul 5, 2023
@timkmak image description: a chart of number of subscribers, showing numbers reaching 25k, falling sharply after that down to about 24k, and then growing fast to around 26k.
Show threadLuke ChadwickJul 5, 2023
@timkmak sometimes you have to fire the customer (subscriber).
Show threadConductorJul 2, 2023

@timkmak It's not even noon on the west coast yet. This newly minted annual subscriber predicts the push-back is just beginning.

🇺🇦  🇺🇦   🇺🇦  

Show thread@energiepiratJul 2, 2023
@timkmak Long live Sarah Ashton-Cirillo
Show threadBodhipaksaJul 2, 2023
@timkmak Your reporting is so important, Tim. It's sad that some people are so closed-minded that they will unsubscribe merely because you report on the existence of a person they have difficulty understanding or empathizing with. Their minds are small, and for now they want them to stay that way.
Show threadAlexander KarnJul 2, 2023

@bodhipaksa @timkmak

+1

Show threaddragonfrogJul 3, 2023

@bodhipaksa @timkmak "having difficulty" understanding and empathising suggests they're trying.

The reason they unsubscribed is because they're afraid they might begin understanding or empathising *despite* their ongoing and strenuous efforts to avoid doing so.

Show threadevanvalentine17Jul 2, 2023
@timkmak Done 👍
Show threadCLMJul 2, 2023
@timkmak
Am paying subscriber and really appreciate coverage of ALL impacts and aspects and ALL communities within UKR. Thank you for what you continue to do.
Show threadmisshissJul 2, 2023
@timkmak so glad you are here!
Show threadCatmama 🐈Jul 2, 2023

@timkmak

Keep doing what you're doing! Paid subscriber here ☺️

Show threadStuartH Jul 2, 2023
@timkmak
I strongly agree you should stand by your values.
Show threadAlexandra LanesJul 2, 2023
@timkmak Thank you, really appreciate it.
Show threadyoflukeJul 2, 2023
@timkmak keep up the great reporting you and your team do. This is the type of content that made me subscribe in the first place. Stories about EVERYONE affected by the war.
Show threadGraham Ollis 🇺🇦🌻🌮Jul 3, 2023
@timkmak Thank you. I love your work.
Show threadL EllisJul 3, 2023
@timkmak fwiw this is what finally pushed me to subscribe
Show threadRev. GothAliceJul 3, 2023

@timkmak 🤬 done.

Let's get you some quality subscribers. Not the closed-minded riff-raff you may have lost who may also have agreed with Putin's agenda. What the actual heck, people.

You, we, everybody deserves better.

Show threadMichael HeussJul 3, 2023

@timkmak

FWIW: I'd feel better about signing up for the newsletter if your site was protected by a secure certificate.

Show threadMichał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦Jul 5, 2023
@timkmak thank you for being true to your convictions and highlighting marginalized communities in all this madness! 
Show threadJohn BreenJul 2, 2023
@timkmak Now I have two paid subscriptions - keep up the good work. I value all the topics you write about.
Show threadEl FotografoJul 2, 2023
@timkmak keep your course!
Show threadDee KnudsenJul 2, 2023
@timkmak Thank you for holding those values. I hope others start following through your outlet as well, and this is just a blip.
Show threadClaus Cramon HoumannJul 2, 2023
@timkmak well the alternative is Tucker, right? No soul, huge numbers. Worth it?
Show thread~Jul 2, 2023
@timkmak not much point closing the door after they left anyway. Keep on keeping on. I subbed.
Show threadMargaret ThomasJul 3, 2023
@timkmak This level of inclusion and integrity is why I contribute and why I will stay. It's hard to support every worthwhile independent #journalism venture, the funds don't allow it, but your work in #Ukraine is essential and on our list!
Show threadMettEagleJul 2, 2023
@timkmak shame on them
Show threadIngrid O Jul 2, 2023
@timkmak That’s horrible. Do better folks. Moved to paid subscription and I hope others do too.
Show threadEl FotografoJul 2, 2023
@timkmak WTF?!?
Show threadZoeInBinaryJul 2, 2023

@timkmak Eff the bigots anyway. The war in Ukraine is about fighting hatred and evil, not bowing to it.

Thanks for doing what you do.

Show threadVeebsJul 2, 2023
@timkmak subbed
Show threadCatmama 🐈Jul 2, 2023

@timkmak

That's a damn shame that some people have to be that way, but I'm convinced you will soon have more subscribers to make up for those with closed minds.

Show threadJohn Quentin HeywoodJul 2, 2023
@timkmak And you gained me as a subscriber
Show threadBruno LeuschnerJul 2, 2023
@timkmak This is a serious issue. Forget those lost bigot followers.
Show threadBlake LeonardJul 2, 2023
@timkmak I find it hard to believe anyone so hateful would be subscribed to your newsletter in the first place, given how pro-humanity (and unapologetically pro-Ukraine) it is... wouldn't that type be begging Russia to take over?
Show threadsparseMatrix 📻Jul 2, 2023

@timkmak

Did you really want to associate so closely and in such a complementary way, with people with whom you do not agree? with whom you are so diametrically opposed?

Show threadSam WadeJul 2, 2023
@timkmak
Show threadDebbie Goldsmith 🏳️‍⚧️♾️🇺🇦Jul 2, 2023
@timkmak I was going to step up my subscription (currently yearly) but the next step is pretty steep… have you ever thought of adding an intermediate tier? I don't know what substack allows. Do you have a Patreon too?
Show threadTim MakJul 2, 2023
@dgoldsmith I don’t! But we do have a place where you can buy us Amazon gift cards if you want! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3FMAKTUV6B7YU?ref_=wl_dp_view_your_list
Amazon.com

Show threadDebbie Goldsmith 🏳️‍⚧️♾️🇺🇦Jul 2, 2023
@timkmak Done! But I'd still like to support your regularly at a higher level (but not THAT high).
Show threadSeán FenianJul 2, 2023
@timkmak @dgoldsmith Hmmmm...... something in the actual buy-a-card link there is not working for me. I just get a blank page. Don't know what's wrong with it.
Show threadJim LutherJul 5, 2023
@timkmak Look for a gift card coming your way.
Show threadJohn Faithfull🌍🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🧡 ✊🏼✊🏿Jul 2, 2023
@timkmak People be weird. And too many of them seem to want to be so f*ing horrible. 😭 But it doesn't sound like they were actually listening or engaged with you, or with any basic ethics in any way. So maybe not a loss in any real way?
Show threadMatir Jul 2, 2023
@timkmak Russia's anti-LGBTQ+ stance alone is enough for me to believe that Putin needs to be removed. His interference in foreign elections, war crimes, invasion of sovereign states are all more reasons. Thank you for covering the plight of important marginalized communities.
Show threadUltra Verified 🇺🇦 🇬🇱Jul 3, 2023

@timkmak

New subscriber here