Latest news with #YellowRibbon
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phil D'Amato Sends Out Quartet In Yellow Ribbon
Phil D'Amato Sends Out Quartet In Yellow Ribbon originally appeared on Paulick Report. Trainer Phil D'Amato has never shied away from placing multiple entries in big stakes races. He feels that if they fit and they're working well, that's where they will go, regardless of whether or not he has other horses in the barn that also fit and are working has been a winning formula in the past. D'Amato's been known to sweep stakes exactas and, on a few occasions, trifectas. So when he entered four horses in the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon on Saturday, it was business as usual for the D'Amato operation. This year, he's bringing back Hang the Moon in the Yellow Ribbon. The winner of last year's G2 John C. Mabee at Del Mar and the G2 Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita hasn't been seen since she ran a close sixth in the G3 Robert J. Frankel at the end of last year.'The layoff was by design,' D'Amato says. 'She reached her limit of number of races last year. We tried to squeeze in one or two too many, and I think she needed a little R & R. She's come back as good as ever.'D'Amato will also run Public Assembly, who won the G3 Royal Heroine at Santa Anita in April and then ran fifth in the G1 Gamely on Memorial Day.'I think I rushed her back too quick off of her stakes win,' D'Amato concedes. 'She was a little bit over the top in that last race. Granted, it was a Grade 1 against really nice horses. She's had some time to relax and strengthen up, and get ready for this race. I like her spacing a lot better going into Saturday.' Mission of Joy is the newcomer to the D'Amato barn, coming over from the Graham Motion stable.'She arrived less than a month ago,' D'Amato notes. 'We got two breezes into her on the grass. She came in in good shape and has a lot of back class. Hopefully, she can regain some of that.'That leaves his longshot, Musical Rhapsody, another one he's bringing back off of a long layoff. The Irish-bred hasn't raced since her third-place finish in the CTT and TOC Stakes last year at Del Mar. D'Amato has dominated turf racing at Del Mar in recent years, but he has only won the Yellow Ribbon once, in 2022 with the talented mare, Going Global. There will be several trainers on Saturday looking to make sure he doesn't win another one. Like Michael McCarthy, who will saddle Liguria, winner of the G2 Buena Vista in March. She subsequently finished third in the Gamely.'I thought her effort was solid in the Gamely,' McCarthy contends. 'She's come down here and is training as good if not better. We're looking for a solid performance this weekend.'Liguria came to his barn early this year after racing two years in the east with trainer Chad Brown. She has experience on the track, winning the G3 Jimmy Durante as a 2-year-old in 2022. Heredia is the lone shipper in the race. She's posted a couple of third-place finishes in New York for trainer Motion since arriving in the U.S. this past winter. Unlike most shippers coming into Del Mar to run in a graded stakes, the English-bred is not here testing the waters for this fall's Breeders' Cup.'We're just taking it race by race,' assistant trainer Alice Clapham notes. 'We did think about entering her in a race at Saratoga (the G2 Ballston Spa), but they thought this track might suit her better. We were looking for a firmer track because we haven't had one for her yet.' Watchtower, trained by Richard Baltas, and Mahina, from the Paddy Gallagher barn, round out the field of eight going a mile and a sixteenth on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course. The 73rd running of the Yellow Ribbon Handicap goes off as race 9 on the 10-race Saturday the field from the rail out with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Hang the Moon (Kazushi Kimura, 3-1); Heredia (Juan Hernandez, 4-1); Liguria (Umberto Rispoli, 7/2); Public Assembly (Antonio Fresu, 5-1); Watchtower (Mirco Demuro, 12-1); Mission of Joy (Armando Ayuso, 6-1); Musical Rhapsody (Ricky Gonzalez, 12-1), and Mahina (Hector I. Berrios, 8-1). This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
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First Post
18-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Ukrainians Underground: How Zla Mavka wields art as armour and paints hope in occupied cities
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In several cities captured by Russian forces since, an underground Ukrainian struggle keeps the hopes of reunification alive. This is the story of Zla Mavka, a women's resistance group: Firstpost exclusive read more Firstpost speaks to an activist from the Ukrainian Women's Resistance group Zla Mavka, who shared the challenges of living in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. Firstpost via Zla Mavka Amid the grave war that has been raging on between Russia and Ukraine for three years, one would find beautiful artworks on the streets of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. The artworks will symbolise resistance and hope to countless Ukrainians living in the region that one day the war will be over and their homes will be free from any form of occupation. These artworks featured women standing their ground and 'fighting the evil'. When the need for discretion arises, the streets of occupied territories get filled with a tiny symbol, a circle over a triangle, once again representing a woman standing on her ground. The creator of these artworks is an all-woman non-violent resistance group, Zla Mavka. The name draws inspiration from a mythological story. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the first part of the Ukrainian Underground Series, we got to know about a resistance group called Yellow Ribbon, which has been raising its voice against Russia's occupation by tying yellow ribbons in different occupied territories. For the second part of the series, Firstpost's Bhagyasree Sengupta spoke to an activist from Zla Mavka. For safety reasons, the activist requested anonymity. The conversation was insightful as she spoke about the group, and what it takes to resist the Russian occupation. One of the posters of the Ukrainian resistance group Zla Mavka reads, 'I don't want flowers. I want my Ukraine'. Image Source: Firstpost via Zla Mavka Angry Mavkas Zla Mavka is an all-woman Ukrainian non-violent resistance movement, which was started in the occupied city of Melitopol in early 2023. When Moscow started its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, three Ukrainian women decided to stand against the Russian aggression. When asked by Firstpost why they call themselves Zla Mavka, the activist shared the story behind the name. 'The Mavka is a character from the Ukrainian mythology. It was a fairy tale about female spirits who protect the forest from bad guys, who try to come to their home,' she said. 'So, when we created our movement, we decided that it would be like a good state of this character.' The group also has a name for Russian soldiers who are deployed in the occupied territory. They often referred to the Russian troops as 'orcs', the brutish fighters from JRR Tolkien's famous series 'The Lord of the Rings'. 'It was fun, you know, like Mavka against orcs. And the only thing that we added was 'Zla' in the beginning, which means angry. So, it's like angry Mavka,' she said. A Zla Mavka poster is attached to a pole in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. Firstpost via Zla Mavka The group started creating posters based on the mythological character, which they discreetly put on walls and lamp posts across the street in occupied territories. One of the posts of the Ukrainian group that garnered attention in India was a video that paid homage to the 'Nitingal on India' Sarojini Naidu, who resisted the British colonisers in India. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When asked about the inspiration behind the post, the activist from the Ukrainian group said that they initially didn't have the skill for resistance, but later on, they took inspiration from around the world. 'We weren't prepared for this. It's just regular women with different kinds of professions, and we didn't have the skills. So when our movement started, we started to learn about experiences all over the world and especially the experiences of strong women in history. It was very inspiring,' she said. "Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind." #GandhiJayanti 100 years ago Sarojini Naidu protested, today @MavkaZla resist. #NonViolenceDay is an important reminder against what we fight. Times are changing – the women's resistance continues@kavita_krishnan — Зла Мавка (@MavkaZla) October 2, 2024 'So we decided to include her character in the video to tell her story, also because it can be a good example to other women here.' The story behind the artworks One of the USPs of the Zla Mavka movement is the fact that the group uses beautiful artworks as a symbol of resistance. They create beautiful illustrations of Mavaka (The Ukrainian mythological character) fighting Russian soldiers. While speaking to Firstpost, the Zla Mavka activist emphasised that these artworks are extremely important for the group. 'First of all, before the war started, one of us was an artist, and she started creating these posters and designs herself. Because you can't make a resistance here openly, for example, like going to the meeting hall or on the street. We decided that art will be very good for showing our messages on the streets, in the media, online and offline.' Zla Mavka put out their artworks, expressing their angst against Russian occupiers. Image Source: Firstpost via Zla Mavka 'So we also make jokes, we just laugh at the occupiers and this is what piss them,' she said. However, the Ukrainian activist pointed out that it is becoming difficult, year after year, to resist by putting out artworks due to intense Russian scrutiny. 'It's a huge problem because Russian occupiers are searching for activists. They put a huge number of cameras, patrols and so on and so on,' she said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Despite this, the resistance does not stop for Zla Mavkas as they find other ways to express their discontent with the draconian Russian regime. 'So we have to be creative and find new ideas to resist. 'For example, we use pumpkins and candles, you know, some stuff that everybody can find, just not to get caught by the occupiers and still spread the message,' the Zla Mavka explained. Due to heavy Russian surveillance, Zla Mavka's have to find innovative ways to resist. Firstpost So, how does the group work amid the Russian scrutiny Crackdown on dissenters and heavy surveillance have been a common theme in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. In the midst of this, adding people to a resistance movement and ensuring their safety can be a hard task. When asked about how the group recruits its members, Zla Mavka activist emphasises that they always stay on alert. 'Recruit would not be the right word because we don't ask somebody to do something. We just do what we do, and women come to us themselves, saying they would like to join. It doesn't mean that they will go, for example, tomorrow to burn the Russian flag or to make graffiti,' she said. 'Some of them are scared to do such things, so we ask them to sometimes write for our 'Diaries From Occupation'. So, women are writing their stories of a regular life in occupation. Some of them make graffiti and burn Russian flags.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Zla Mavka activists burn Russian flags in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. Image Source: Zla Mavka 'We have a chatbot, Telegram and a few other places where people can write, and we will answer them. But, of course, we never meet them, like, personally, you know, and we don't know each other,' she said. And that is where the key component of the movement lies. Not knowing each other, their names or any kind of information about each other is an extremely important component of the Zla Mavka movement. This ensures the safety and anonymity of all the members. The Ukrainian activist mentioned that the group has certain safety rules for all its members. When asked more about what those rules are, she said: 'We learn them from ourselves, it's like from our experiences. First of all, it's, of course, online safety, how to clean your phone, because your phone can be checked on the street or hacked. How to make calls and messaging safe. How to share information safely.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We also have safety rules on the ground. How not to be caught on the cameras, for example, there are some we can't share,' she averred, ensuring the safety of other activists. How locals are reacting to it Does the existence of such groups raise the morale of the Ukrainian people living in occupied territories? The Ukrainian activist emphasised that the existence of resistance groups like these is important not only to break the Russian propaganda but also to make Ukrainians feel that they are not alone. 'We are receiving a lot of messages from people, even those who are not in the group, saying 'thank you, I saw your poster, I feel so good because I know that I am not alone',' she said. Talking about the dire circumstances in the region, the Zla Mavka activist emphasised that these days Ukrainians in the region can't even speak to their friends or even sometimes their families. 'So when they see these resistance signs, they see that they are not alone, you know, and this is very important for them. They see that, while resistance is continuing, it means that the Russians haven't won yet. Because there is still resistance, and this gives them hope,' she said. In light of this, Zla Mavka has initiated a solidarity campaign in which people all over the world can join the resistance. 'People from all over the world, from India, also started to send us photos with their hands with the logo of the movement. We show them to activists. It's inspiring for them to know that people all over the world don't forget about them,' she furthered. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A woman with the Zla Mavka logo drawn on her hand. Firstpost via Zla Mavka She emphasised that a lot of Ukrainians who are still living in the region because they don't have choices. 'Movements like these show that people who are here didn't accept Russia; they are here because they just couldn't leave their homes.' Zla Mavka up against a mighty state The Zla Mavka activist told Firstpost that while there are no huge bombings in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, the lives of people who live here can be extremely hard. Some of these challenges are as follows: ### **The Russian 'misinformation machine'** In May, there were reports of a sabotage of a Russian military train in Meltiopol. When asked if Zla Mavka had anything to do with it, as some reports suggested, the Ukrainian activist made it clear that the reports were 'huge disinformation', and they just reported on the incident. 'We always say that Zla Mavaka is a non-violent resistance group. This is very important because we don't want to cause sabotage, especially with the military. We don't want to put women who joined us at risk,' she said. 'We just reported that some activists did this, some partisans and some media just picked this information, starting to say that this was our movement. But this is not true.' The Zla Mavaka activist emphasised that disinformation like this is often useful for Russians to accuse the group of doing something violent. Zla Mavka activist holding a botched 200 rouble. The real Crimea-themed 200 rouble note was issued by the Bank of Russia in 2017. Image Source: Zla Mavka ### **The wrath of Russian spies** While the war is being played out in regions that are still under Ukraine, the locals in Russia-occupied territories have to navigate throught Russian wrath and intelligence. 'The hard thing here is Russian intelligence, FSB and other military groups that try to search all activists and not even activists,' the Zla Mavaka told Firstpost. 'They are hunting pro-Ukrainian people. So, you can be arrested here for a post. In social media, if you say Putin is bad or anything pro-Ukraine, you can be arrested just for this.' The Ukrainian activist noted that the group is to give its activists support in the form of tips and rules on how to be safe. The group is also writing down and documenting a lot of violence and sexual abuse against women in the region by the Russian occupiers. Zla Maka poster in Russian Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. Firstpost via Zla Mavka 'I think it will be very important to document all these things, to report, to collect all information about their crimes in the occupied territories. But even to do this, you have to create a lot of safety rules for all activists who even want to share information,' she said. ### **Adapting to a still evolving crisis** With the rise of the Ukrainian resistance group in Russian-occupied territories, the Russian authorities have to change their tactics to curb the voices of the dissenters. The groups then have to adapt themselves to stay underground. 'There are more agents deployed in the region, and there are more searches and cases. So they have become angrier,' she said. 'We are a problem for their propaganda. They are saying that people here are happy with Russia and happy to have a Russian passport. Then, when you go to the internet, you see different groups making resistance, you get a different image,' the Ukrainian activist explained. Burned newspaper featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin. Image Source: Zla Mavka 'They try to find, arrest, and deport people from these territories,' she added. The Ukrainian activist warned that if these territories continue to remain under Russian occupation, the Russian forces will become 'freer' when it comes to unleashing their wrath. 'The resistance won't stop' Throughout the interview, the Ukrainian activist made it clear that her group would not stop resisting until the Russians leave the Ukrainian territories. Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went to Rome to garner support from Kyiv's Western allies. While the idea of a peace deal has been floating for a while, the hope for Russia's leaving the already occupied territories looks bleak. When Firstpost asked about the grim prospects, the Zla Mavka activist said, 'Resistance will not stop here because the only option that we will accept is that we will be part of Ukraine again. We are Ukrainians, we would like to see Russians out of our homes. Because people will not stop resisting until then.' Zla Mavka conducting its sabotage operation in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. Image Source: Zla Mavka 'People here are listening to our president Zelensky a lot on the internet, for them, what he is saying is very important. They are seeing that our president is on our side, and he is doing everything he can.' 'The thing is that we need more support. The world should unite to kick out the Russians and put them in their place. Because the Russian invasion will not stop here in Ukraine. It will go to different countries,' she said. What Zla Mavka wants to tell the world When asked about what Zla Mavka's message to the world is, the group's activist first started off by thanking people around the world for their support. 'I want to thank all of them, we hear them, we see how the international community supports Ukraine and supports people in occupied territories. We received all their messages. A lot of people all over the world, from America to India, write us messages with solidarity, with supportive words, asking how they can help,' she said. 'The only message I can send is that people really have power, and if we are all united, we can win against any evil. So, good guys have to win. We will continue to fight. The Ukrainian activist also had a message for US President Donald Trump, who threatened 100% sanctions against Russia earlier this week. Zla Mavka posters. Image Source: Zla Mavka 'We really hope that finally he understands who Putin is and that Putin is just a big liar. Maybe he just doesn't have enough information about things that are going on here, especially the occupation with all the crimes of Russians here. We don't have any messages, just hope,' she concluded.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'The enemy is right here' — how Ukrainians living under Russian occupation defied Putin's 'Victory Day'
Editor's Note: The identities of Yellow Ribbon activists who live in Russian-occupied territory have been withheld for security reasons. "When my child hears about May 9 they almost scream, and so do I," an activist with the Ukrainian Yellow Ribbon civil resistance group currently living in the Russian-occupied town of Tokmak in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, tells the Kyiv Independent. "Every week at school, from the very beginning of the semester, my kid has to do something about May 9,'" "We have learnt all the songs, the Soviet uniform is already lying at home because we were forced to buy it, and every third homework assignment for six months has been about it," they added. Russia's Victory Day celebrations, which mark the Soviet Union's role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country's biggest public events of the year. The annual performance is a key part of Russia's propaganda efforts to justify aggression against what the Kremlin falsely describes as "Nazis" in Ukraine, with the day culminating in a military parade in Moscow's Red Square, and a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The event's reach also extends to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, where Kremlin-installed authorities continue their attempts to "russify" the land and its people. But across occupied Crimea, and the partially occupied parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, activists of the Ukrainian Yellow Ribbon civil resistance movement monitor, report, and defy the Russians. "This is a way of saying that we are here and we have not surrendered," a Yellow Ribbon activist currently living in Donetsk, under Russian occupation since 2014, tells the Kyiv Independent. "On the day when the occupiers celebrate a victory that is not ours, people like me remember that the real victory is still ahead, and it will be Ukrainian." "It may be dangerous, but it's even more frightening to remain silent," they added. Read also: Inside occupied Ukraine's most effective resistance movements Resistance in Russian-occupied territories is highly dangerous — anyone deemed to be defying the occupying authorities faces the very real possibility of imprisonment and torture. As such, small acts carried out in relative safety can carry huge significance for those defying the Kremlin. "Going out is not an option. We downloaded 'The Lord of the Rings' and will watch it instead of the Victory Day celebration," the activist in Tokmak said. In Moscow, amid much pomp, military machinery, and the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes, Putin delivered his annual speech to mark his country's Victory Day parade, but omitted several key things from his version of the events of World War II. "I am sick and tired of this hypocrisy and brazen Russian propaganda about their 'Russian victory,'" an activist currently living in Melitopol, occupied by Russian forces in 2022, tells the Kyiv Independent. "We don't want to celebrate at all — the occupiers have distorted the very essence of this day. But for ourselves, we remember the dead, because this is a day of remembrance, not celebration," they added. Although Putin will never admit it, Ukraine played a hugely significant role on the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazy Germany — at least six million Ukrainians fought in the Soviet army, and though exact numbers are unknown, it's estimated that around 1.65 million of the Ukrainians who fought were killed, the highest number from any of the Soviet republics after Russia itself. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014, Victory Day — celebrated on May 9 in contrast to May 8 in most of Europe and the U.S. — was a popular occasion. In 2010, 58% of the population considered it one of the most important public holidays. By 2025, and after 11 years of war, that number has fallen to just 11%. May 8 was officially made a public holiday in Ukraine in 2023, the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation. An activist currently living in Alchevsk, Luhansk Oblast, occupied by Russia since 2014, said they'd marked the May 8 holiday but said it was "very difficult for us here." "Because the enemy is right here, and the idea of reconciliation with the enemy is not appropriate now," they said. "When there is a victory, when there are tanks in Moscow, then maybe in 10 years the idea of 'reconciliation' will be perceived normally, but now it is very difficult," they added. But despite the risks, they are undeterred in their desire to maintain the resistance. "This is Ukraine. I am Ukrainian, and my parents were Ukrainian. Showing this to the world is the right thing to do, no matter what happens next," they said. "Children are being trained to march, sing songs about the 'feats of the grandfathers,' and prepare performances about the war." Viktoria, a Ukrainian psychologist living now in Berlin survived weeks of Russian occupation before leaving her home city, Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, in April 2022. She asked for her last name to be withheld as her relatives still live there. She told the Kyiv Independent her mother is "simply planning to avoid the central streets" during the Victory Day celebrations. For Ukrainians living under Russian occupation, the holiday has been imposed on them regardless. In occupied Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the Communist Party of Russia unveiled a monument to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. "To the organizer and inspirer of the victory of the Soviet people over the Nazi invaders, Generalissimo of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin, from grateful descendants," a plaque on it reads. Stalin's legacy in Ukraine is marked by profound suffering. Under his rule, millions of Ukrainians died during the Holodomor, a man-made famine in 1932–1933. In Russian-occupied Sevastopol, Crimea, schoolchildren have been forced to draw postcards for the Russian military. Some parents withdrew their children from school rather than allow authorities to make them do it, according to the Yellow Ribbon activists on the peninsula. The viewing of the parade in Moscow is compulsory viewing for students and staff in schools in the occupied territories of Donetsk Oblast, the Centre of National Resistance reported on May 7. "I know from my acquaintances that there is a total 'victory frenzy' in schools and kindergartens," a Yellow Ribbon member currently living in Donetsk, under Russian occupation since 2014, tells the Kyiv Independent. "Children are being trained to march, sing songs about the 'feats of the grandfathers,' and prepare performances about the war," they added. This year is the fourth Victory Day since the start of the full-scale invasion, and resistance to the holiday has been present throughout. Natalia Shatilova-Pohasiy, is a volunteer and acting head of the Dnipro District Organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society in Kherson, a city which was occupied for several months in 2022. "After 13 March (2022), when Kherson residents marched in columns to the Park of Glory with Ukrainian flags and inscriptions 'Kherson is Ukraine,' the conscientiousness people did not celebrate Victory Day," she tells the Kyiv Independent. "On May 9, 2022 we stayed at home so as not to provide a photo opportunity for the Russian media, as well as to not be in danger," she added. Ukraine has had some success at disrupting Russia's Victory Day — the parade in the occupied Crimean port city of Sevastopol was cancelled over safety concerns, and other events around occupied Ukraine suffered a similar fate. "A concert in the city centre was promised — a band was supposed to come from (the Russian cities of) Yelabuga and from Tver and at first it should have been obligatory for school children," the activist from Tokmak said. "But at the last minute, the organizers cancelled, saying something about it being too dangerous." Read also: 'Evil must not win' — how Ukraine's female partisans resist Russian occupation We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
