Would You Become a Yacht Pirate for Ukraine?

Well, would you? You don’t have to decide now, but be aware that lawmakers in Texas have introduced legislation to bring back privateering in order to empower citizens to seize the yachts of Russian oligarchs docked in American harbors. 

Ahoy. 

In this episode, Brandon and Stephen take a look at forms of protest and resistance in solidarity with and defense of Ukraine. First up is Marina Ovsyannikova, the woman who poached the state-run Russian airwaves with a message for her country’s people: “Don’t believe propaganda. They’re lying to you here.” Brandon then takes a look at a microbrewery in Kiev that’s turned its production plans on a dime in order to manufacture and distribute Molotov cocktails. 

Over in Chicago, a shop called Citizen Brick is also making Molotov cocktails, but these are teensy-tiny LEGO versions. You can also buy a snazzy Zelenskyy mini-figure, and all the proceeds support Ukrainian relief efforts.

In Ukraine, a grassroots IT army of 300,000 hacktivists is stirring up trouble in Russia any way they can. In France, a former businessman-turned-badass broke into Putin’s daughter’s Biarritz villa and invited Ukrainian refugees to stay there. (Side note: Putin’s daughter, whom he’s yet to publicly acknowledge, is also an accomplished “acrobatic rock n’ roll star.”)

And, yes, people are going after Russian billionaires' yachts and houses. In Norway, they won’t even fuel ‘em up. Why? To start putting the screws to Putin’s cronies so that they might encourage the oft-shirtless despot to back out of Ukraine before all their fancy shit gets stolen. 

JOURNOS is produced by Heather “Eagle Ears” Wilson.