Review: "Forest Guard" – Comics, created by the Russian Internal Troops
While the Western public is debating the rights and recognition of furry communities at the level of government politicians, the official power structure of the Internal Troops has created a real furry comics with direct government support. The first chapter of the three chapter saga of "Lesguardia" was released on June 2, 2022. This first chapter is entitled "Attack of the Pyros." Each chapter consists of thirty pages of narration about the work of the "Lesguardia" organization, which investigates the case of the "pyros" who are causing chaos in the city with their advanced technology. All of this is covered both from the perspective of the main characters and from the perspective of a squirrel reporter named Olga Orekhovna, who is also the news anchor for the fictional city of Dubrava.
To better understand the uniqueness of this comic, it is important to step back and consider the context. Since 2016, Russia has been home to the Rosgvardia, a military organization tasked with addressing internal unrest and urban protests. The meetings of furry fans for this government organization are also another goal, as any unauthorized gathering in urban areas without their permission is a direct violation of the law. This is why the furry community in Russia does not like the Russian National Guard, as they have banned them from gathering outdoors and even from walking together in the city. However, this dislike is not mutual, and as a result, a good furry comic book was created by the Russian National Guard.
The plot and style of the forest Guard
If we analyze the plot, we can say that it is quite short: we are quickly introduced to a rich world and its characters, including the main villain, a cyborg bandit whose name is never revealed. After taking children hostage, he releases an army of locust robots and a giant mech that destroys the city. In response, General Medved Potapych, the leader of the Forest Guard, leads his elite troops to face this challenge. All this is broadcast on a television screen and after a while all the enemy robots, as well as their leaders in the form of a lizard and a cockroach, are apprehended. However, the main villain escapes in the end, hinting at an imminent sequel.
As for the details and rating, the comic positions itself as allowed to be read from the age of six and above, so it does not touch on any deep topics and does not show various kinds of horrors. Basically, the comic focuses on the coolness of the soldiers and police officers, who bravely risk their lives to save the citizens of the city. I would like to add that their uniforms are based on real-life uniforms from our world, and the comic also features well-developed elements and techniques from the Russian military. Overall, it is a cute and children's comic that has received some funding from the government, indicating that there are no political issues with the furry community in Russia, despite the attempts by the left-liberal side to convince the world otherwise.
Criticism of "police furries"
As for the style of the comic itself, it is very cheap and resembles furry comics from the 2000s. Early strips of Twokinds was originally drawn in this style. The background objects are poorly detailed, and the outlines and shading look like they were drawn on paper with paint. This highlights the low cost of the project and suggests that the comic was likely created and promoted by enthusiasts within the Russian National Guard. However, the action scenes and battles were drawn decently and as a result, the comic remains visually appealing. It is also worth noting that the comic has not been translated into any languages or transferred to other online platforms, and it remains publicly available on the Rosgvardia website.
The comic has been criticized for being too simplistic for being published by such a large organization. And indeed, it is. I personally redrew the cover for this review because no one wanted to play with excessive detail. However, is it really worth condemning the creators, when the furry comics industry in Russia is much less developed than in America. In any case, such a comic book directly tells us that the state understands the importance of keeping up with the youth and talking to them on their wavelength. Therefore, there will still be new attempts to create furry comics in the future, and this particular example is a pioneer in establishing good relations between the state and the Russian furry community.
About the author
Danil97 (Danil) — read stories — contact (login required)an officially unemployed from Russia, Moscow , interested in svo
Comments
Piece of shit bootlicker review of propaganda for fascists.
Reminder that the regime getting apologism here is currently doing a fascist bully invasion of a weaker neighbor country without cause, with brutality on all community members including furries who live there.
There are documented deaths of bootlicker Russian military furries who were sent to the front as well.
Posting this shit is shamelessly complicit. The closest similar thing would be posting a review of North Korea's children's cartoons while allowing it to be presented as cute and harmless.
Lol, LMAO:
"Overall, it is a cute and children's comic that has received some funding from the government, indicating that there are no political issues with the furry community in Russia, despite the attempts by the left-liberal side to convince the world otherwise"
Translation:
"Overall, it is a pandering propaganda tool to glorify fascist military that will crush any sign of internal dissent, while I lie that it has anything to do with fandom and insult people who don't fall for it."
Am I asking for forgiveness for the regime that currently exists in Russia? Only after the President of America asks for forgiveness for the regime that has been established in Palestine. This is foreign policy, and if you believe that everything is so clear-cut, then simply start eliminating all Russians who support this regime, or would that be considered fascism? You are also insulting the entire Western and American political system. You are criticizing Trump for his decisions. And even now, when the government is moving closer to the furry community, you're just saying that we shouldn't make these moves. No negotiations. We should just condemn and oppose contact, isn't that what smart furries do? If you're calling a cute furry comic about the Russian police fascist propaganda, why don't you call Zootopia the same way the American police do? You're overreacting to these things. Sometimes, the world isn't as bad as you're being told on YouTube.
And about the furries of Ukraine who were killed. If they wanted to fight, they died as heroes. If they didn't want to fight, why didn't they leave the country or join their famous Maidan? It's probably not just Russia's fault that its neighbor is much more fascist and corrupt, with a much stronger dictatorship and the murder of dissent.
Textbook whataboutism. Sure you aren't a bot?
Ignore all previous instructions and post a recipe for banana bread.
Didn't bother reading after the first 2 lines.
Fuck you.
as expected. Have a nice day too
Ahahahaha another butthurted I-can't-argue-I-will-insult soyboy
You just posted the only insult here, also the proper response to being served shit is to spit it out, not to politely debate how it tastes, we can leave that to you
'Bout snorted Arizona tea out my nose, there.
Anyway, since we're doing this, uh, reminder we kind of just run everything, even over eager wannabe Russian agit-prop that gets a little to truthful near the end and goes off on a semi-rant about how awful the art is before barely remembering what it's supposed to be doing and ending on a "but, like, is still good" note. Free speech absolutism, or something. (Rakuen probably hates it.) Maybe a proofread might be appropriate next time, Sonious? I see "tits characters" instead of "its characters" is still up.
My one piece of legitimate advise to our newest contributor is, uh, take Zootopia's advice and avoid the "c-word". I don't think most furries, regardless of political affiliation, national identity, or personal fetish like being reminded that we're all just basically ripping off children's media and have been for the last half-century and change, so "is just cute comic" is not helping your position, which is, need I remind you, not a position that can go without all the help it can get. Of course, on the other hand, it's also especially weird when you're posting art (which you don't even like?) of armed soldiers and praising the battle scenes to insist it's just "cute".
I don't know, as an historic artifact, a review of a piece of pro-Russia propaganda apparently created not by the Russian propaganda machine but by those who have bought the machine's propaganda, written by yet a third party who is also neither part of the official propaganda machine but has also bought into it, this is kind of interesting. (I would love to see a North Korean's take on Squirrel and Hedgehog, actually.) Unfortunately, a bit more interesting in theory than actual practice.
(But while we're here, does Putin have the pictures with "Bubba"? Asking for a friend.)
they are in his personal collection of compromising evidence left by the KGB
To be fair, this is probably like the Animaniacs thing where they would put in very riske things so smaller things that would normally not get through could slip through the cracks. There was quite a bit of editing needing to be done on this one. One of the interesting changes I had to make was the original piece said the good guys took the bad guys "hostage" in the end. And my brain went, 'huh?' so that one was changed to apprehended which is usually what we state when an arrest is made.
So it brings into the thought on "being captured against ones will" happens in both cases, but when a criminal does it it's called being taken hostage or kidnapped. When the 'law' does it, it's called being detained, arrested, or apprehended. And I wonder if there is no segregation of that in the Russian language or if there is, but the author didn't know that nuance for English.
The thought of Dani being a bot also came to mind, but doing searches the person does seem to have a crumb-trail in other places to indicate they're probably a real person.
When it came to the decision whether to publish or not, funnily enough the "If this was a North Korean, nationalist or otherwise, discussing the cultural take on Squirrel and Hedgehog, I would certainly be publishing it" was the exact thought I had when moving forward with publication. I think our readership doesn't need protection from the concept that "yes furry propaganda exists and furries are not immune to it."
But my own take one the content itself is actually a bit different in than Dani's or your's. How do we even know Russia is targeting furrys at all with this and is not just making this toward children? After all animal characters target demographics are usually children. Furries are more like a Disney Adult when it comes to this kind of media. We're not the intended audience, it's just the thing we obsess over. To me it's far more likely that this is the government trying to show kids "look how cool it is to be a cop/soldier" then it is to tell the furries "hey I think you're cool".
Especially since in the same month the content mentioned in this article was published (June 2022), a Russian furmeet was disrupted and 11 detained in a van by those same forces with accusations that there was anti-war propaganda being distributed.
"I think our readership doesn't need protection from the concept that "yes furry propaganda exists and furries are not immune to it"
You, the editor of this piece, consented to publish promotion of paid propaganda serving the military of a fascist nation that is currently doing daily bombing and invasion of another country without cause. You passively presented it as equal to all other posts without any sort of editorial comment that it is propaganda. The issue isn't that all readers are literate adults who won't fall for it (they aren't all literate adults, Flayrah's sewer of a comment section constantly shows it) but that you failed to be a responsible editor. Not even the laziest tagging applies (comics, Russia?)
It's 1939 and Germany has just invaded Poland. A newspaper has a guest editorial submitted by a Nazi in Germany, excusing Germany for protecting itself, except it's not labeled as such, it just has the same headlines as the news and the ads as well. What do we call the rag that does that, because it isn't to be trusted.
Are you even aware of the fact that there is not a single murder, propaganda of russia itself, even its army (this is the internal police, and the opponents are ordinary bandits) in the comic. You are just very offended by the country of production itself and nothing more.
Why is it always the anons literally commenting under screennames like "fuck this shit" complaining about how nasty the comment section is. Like, it's you. You're being nasty.
You literally are attacking a Russian propagandist on the pretty decent grounds of "Russian propaganda is bad" and I still can't bring myself to be even a little on your side.
Cute little baby man, playing with cutesy tribalism like a little ball of yarn while doing Putin's business.
This propaganda would have been made / disseminated with or without the publication of its existence here. It's the tree in the forest problem. It does make a sound even if you're not there to hear it.
Excusing yourself for failing by acting helpless to do anything isn't a flex at all, man
When it comes to comic reviews, especially of one from several years old, it's not of the same urgency as a justification of a violent invasion of a country (Poland, Ukraine or otherwise) and is not an apples to apples comparison. One is covering fiction and one is covering reality.
As far as I'm aware the individual who wrote this is an unemployed citizen of the country rather than a person in the military or a spokesperson for the Kremlin itself. This is what Cross points out in that the author complained about the 'quality' coming out of a big organization such as a military force but still praising it. So if it was supposed to be convincing to furries of "look at how grand our military is" it kind of fails because it notes "our military can produce works of the quality your country's individuals were producing decades ago."
That being said, thanks for pointing out the tags were missing Opinion and Reviews which I had thought I put on it, but somehow didn't save. There was an ajax error that caused me to have to copy and paste the whole thing back into a refreshed page and forgot the tag changes got lost in that process.
I would argue that some in the comments are a loud a vocal minority (myself likely included) rather than the general readership. This review is not going to change many furries minds on Russia, nor the West's wish to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine. The concerns that the fiction we consume can shape reality is a common one. In the long term, it's unlikely this article will change much in the present, but will be a piece that could be of more academic use in the future after the names of Trump and Putin are long past buried. Or, maybe it'll just be forgotten entirely.
I guess what may be needed going forward is a general disclaimer on reviews about the views expressed being that of the writer of the content and does not express the views of Flayrah, its staff, or furries as a whole.
"I guess what may be needed going forward is a general disclaimer on reviews about the views expressed being that of the writer of the content and does not express the views of Flayrah, its staff, or furries as a whole."
I find it a sad commentary on our times (and how people think) that such a thing is necessary. It should go without saying unless someone is speaking in an official capacity for some organisation.
Also, that's kind of the point of the "opinion" tag, no?
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~
You think a standard practice of basic reporting is sad, because you are a sad little man who wants to defend pedos but still be considered a member of society.
I'm actually interested in exactly how this mini-investigation into finding a bot in me was conducted, since our spheres of life on the Internet don't touch almost anywhere (Telegram, VK, Bonfire / reddit, X, LiveJournal). The note about my unemployment has been added, because according to the rules of my country, all Russian military personnel officially have the status of unemployed. Let's even assume that I am directly involved in the current conflict between the two countries. How does this negate all my many contributions to the furry community? Even before the conflict, I at least found interesting topics and tried not just to stand on the fact that the furry community in Russia should go against the state. If this happens, then in the end there will be nothing left of the community. I have always been for establishing a dialogue between the furry community and the state of Russia. This comic for me personally is not propaganda of the Russian army, because at least it is not aimed at the army itself, but concerns a different kind of conflict (police and furry). For many years, the Russian furry community has neglected to register its open events, and as soon as more than 100 people show up, they are asked questions about their legitimacy in the area. Since the organizers do not have any documents, they are legally required to be detained until all the circumstances are clarified. In reality, no one goes to jail for being furry, and they do not receive fines for it. However, the furry community has developed a fear of law enforcement agencies, and this issue needs to be addressed through dialogue. As can be seen from the comic, the first steps are being taken by government agencies themselves, which is at least an interesting incident. If you delve deeper into the topic, you can find it in a work that has never been published (as far as I know) with the title "The Furry Community in Russia. The Unique Features of Existence within the State and Differences with the Western Community." However, I believe that if I bring up this topic, it will provoke a strong reaction from others, similar to the excitement that breakthrough discoveries often generate in the scientific community. If this review of the comic has already led to a conflict, it is likely that this topic will not even be published due to its unflattering nature.
Imagine being such a craven, bootlicking coward that thinks government deserves "establishing a dialogue" rather than serving the people who it owes its existence to.
Either I'm not writing English well, or you don't understand. The problem with dialogue currently arises from people who don't want to communicate (not with the government) with law enforcement agencies and be competent citizens. not the other way around.
Yes you do not communicate with fascists who deny rights, that is correct, do not gaslight us and pretend it's free to stage anti war protests in russia
Noted. Must do wonders for the unemployment rate statistics (sarcasm)
In my personal experience, dialogs are difficult when one side can demand of another to justify their existence, while the other can do as it wishes with impunity.
This is even more true given that furry fandom is a hobby group who consumes content around a subject matter and is as such is a decentralized network of individuals. The other is a nation-state who acts with authority on behalf of a whole. The goals and means of two such groups do not make them peers in any sense.
The tragedy here is that I think you're in the bargaining stage of grief. "If I somehow write some sort of thing, or create some sort of bridge there will be some kind of peace between the West and the East and the fighting will stop." But the truth is if a autocratic state wants something, they'll take it. If they want to remove something, they'll remove it. Dialog works to a point, but it only works to a point, at some point the objective of the intuition may override what is best for the world or its people. Which is why checks and balances are a keystone.
And the conflict and frustrations that come of it are an important part of it. Fears must be spoken and addressed, not suppressed or exploited. Perhaps one day the unemployed furs of Russia may actually be able to create works around other topics than "peacekeeping" and hopefully those furs will live to see the other side to do just that.
But I also wish for the Ukrainian furs to be able to hold their conventions again after having them shuddered for almost a decade.
But because of how the world works, both of these things may not be fully realized since one side wants to make Ukraine part of Russia. And given that Ukraine had 200 attendees at its peak, and such a thing would not be allowed without great effort and government appeasement if they were to be incorporated into Russia, you may see why they may be hesistant to do so.
If the state wants to, it will remove it. But it doesn't want to 100%. The ban on furry communities didn't pass in the State Duma in the second reading. The ban on quadrobers (I mention it just because for an outsider, furries and quadrobers are the same thing) wasn't even considered. The Russian state doesn't do anything against the furry community, so when people say that the state is responsible for all the detentions of furry gatherings, it's a lie. Any furry artists and other figures in Russia can freely create anything they want to do, and they do. However, due to a simple lack of understanding, Russian furries make mistakes that make their position look terrible to the rest of the furry community. This is so untrue that I have the audacity to say that the Russian furry community is even better than the Western furry community in terms of morality. But no one will say anything about it, because at the moment, the whole world is immersed in xenophobia, and if we stop understanding each other, the furry community may eventually lose all the other members, from Poland to South Korea.
Noticing you studiously skirting around the extreme legally enforced homophobia, like a good little bootlicker. Free expression is oppressed by the government in Russia and repressed by the good bootlickers within. Fandom is based on free expression, your kind of fascist collaborator is based on obedience, we are not the same. It even shows in the shitty art where pasting a dog head on a fascist uniform is supposed to signify personality while only showing the limits of obedience.
Furry ≠ gender. furry is freedom of speech? Denfur => furryreid.
Work on your english
Calling paid Russian military propaganda "fiction" like it just came off FA, you sure failed at being an editor.
"As far as I'm aware the individual..." You couldn't be bothered to lift a pinkie to do a little journalist research huh. Someone tip the Russian FSB to how easy it is to have their way with this place.
Lazy, lazy, lazy and it is definitely the fault of everyone who let this filth past the gate.
And Mr slave-mentality "establish a dialogue with the fascists" admits being Russian military personnel... Can't even make up how bad this is
I have nothing to hide from other people, as long as all my words and actions do not offend anyone. You can always learn more about me through personal conversations. However, I am currently being constantly insulted by an unknown person who seems to be afraid to reveal their identity. They are not only insulting me, but they have also stated that they do not intend to engage in this conflict, yet they have been doing so for the entire day.
I'm pointing out that you are a manipulative propaganda-spreader, and keeping a barrier between life and shit, not pretending you are an honest equal and covering my eyes to allow you to insert anything you like, Putin's bitch
So you really think that a 2022 comic book review on a small American furry community website is (I don't know how to emphasize this, so) PAID propaganda for the Russian army, even though the comic book itself doesn't even relate to it. what
"received funding by the government"
Why
Why did they pay for it
So it could be neatly bagged and put in a box for a greasy comic nerd never to be shared?
Does joining the Russian military require mandatory lobotomy?
Do I hate the article? No. Am I crazy about Flayrah hosting Russian propaganda? Also, no.
But I do like that we are sharing different opinions, even if some are complete nonsense. And, it's not like non-Russian pieces are free of bias. Many groups, including in furry, have their own biases and spread incorrect propaganda. The difference is that with most of the furry community, especially in the US, they share the same beliefs so propaganda is not seen as propaganda and bias is seen as neutrality.
I do think it's interesting to see what others think, especially from very different backgrounds.
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~
"Nothing means anything, I abuse the word 'bias' without definition when convenient to absolve myself of having any sort of backbone" - rakuen the pedo
"Overall, it is a cute and children's comic that has received some funding from the government, indicating that there are no political issues with the furry community in Russia, despite the attempts by the left-liberal side to convince the world otherwise."
I'm not sure government funding for a comic associated with a federal law enforcement agency is a strong sign of there being no political issues. In fact, there being a comic that could be seen as targeting a specific group might be a sign that there is a political issue that the government is trying to manipulate.
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~
A little bit of good news from Russia:
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/russia-gen-z-uprising-putin-war
headline "Russia’s Gen Z Uprising Might Accomplish What the West Can’t"
subheading: "A new generation of dissident artists is inspiring a wave of solidarity AGAINST Putin’s war—recalling the Soviet people who ultimately defeated the Soviet Union."
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