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Politics

Late last July, a strange truck arrived at Askania-Nova, a vast nature reserve on the steppes of Kherson Oblast in the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine. The outside of the vehicle was emblazoned with lions and the grinning face of Oleg Zubkov—erstwhile children’s show host, self-styled “lion man,” and the proprietor of two private zoos in Crimea. Completing the epic, if haphazardly photoshopped, exterior of the truck was a Russian military propaganda slogan: “We don’t abandon our own.” But rather than carrying lions, the truck was transporting birds and sheep. And, much like the Russian generals using young men for cannon fodder, Zubkov was more than prepared to abandon his charges.

The Baffler     Mar 27, 2025