Dead Drop: December 29

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL:  There have been several reports of Russian officials presenting grieving families of soldiers who are killed in the war in Ukraine with household appliances, sacks of potatoes and things like that – but this is a new one. BBC Russia media monitor Francis Scarr posted a video of a the mother of Russian soldier Roman Rudakov being presented with a brick on which her son allegedly scrawled his last wishes before dying. His wish was that officials take care of his mom, sister and brother.  So, they gave the brick (which resembles more of a cinder block) to the family.  Speechless.

THERE’S SOMETHING ROTTEN IN DONETSK:  Some of the Russian soldiers who are still living are reportedly throwing verbal bricks at their leadership. Newsweek says that a man believed to be a Russian soldier has posted a video on social media in which he dropped the F-bomb on Putin and called the defense minister Shogiu a “bitch.” And he was just getting warmed up saying that he and his colleagues were “rotting in the trenches” adding: "We've been ******* rotting here with mice in the trenches for a year and a half now. When will this end for ****'s sake?” The soldier did not do too much to conceal his identity – so it is an open question as to whether he is in more danger now from Ukrainian soldiers, Russian authorities or mice.