The Ukraine war has fallen below the fold of the New York Times and the Washington Post. It is not the only sign that the ‘western’ war rage and cheer leading for Ukraine has ended. When one scrolls down though there are still Ukraine headlines on the NYT front page.
One is to its “live” coverage with the current headline saying:
Ukraine Live Updates: Russian Forces Move Into Center of Sievierodonetsk.
That ‘live update’ is two week behind the real news. As Reuters reported on May 31:
Russia takes most of Sievierodonetsk city in eastern Ukraine.
KYIV, May 31 (Reuters) – Ukraine said on Tuesday that Russia had taken control of most of the eastern industrial city of Sievierodonetsk, a bombed-out wasteland whose capture Moscow has made the principal objective of its invasion.
Some ‘western’ analysts had since falsely claimed that Ukraine had launched a counteroffensive into the city. That counterattack in fact never has taken place. The forces who were supposed to launch it where shelled to clumps before they could set off.
The NYT live update also includes this headline and report:
Amnesty says Russia’s use of cluster munitions caused widespread civilian deaths in Kharkiv.
Reading a bit into it one finds:
Amnesty said 606 civilians were killed in the Kharkiv region between Feb. 24 and April 28, citing the head of the regional medical department.In investigating 41 strikes that killed more than 60 civilians, Amnesty said its researchers found fragments of cluster sub-munitions as well as parts of rockets known to carry such weapons. Cluster munitions are banned under a 2010 treaty because of the risk they pose for noncombatants, but Russia, Ukraine and the United States are not among the more than 100 countries that have signed the convention. Ukraine has also used cluster munitions in the war.
Some 600 civilians died in Karkiv over a month. Debris from cluster bombs, which both sides use, was also found. That must mean that Russian forces must have killed those civilians?
Really?
This reminds me of 2008 when Amnesty’s sister organization Human Rights Watch published a fake cluster bomb report during the Georgia war. Back then the HRW analyst Marc Garlasco falsely identified ‘western’ produced cluster bombs which had been fired by Georgia as Russian ones. It was easy to debunk that claim simply by checking HRW’s own cluster bomb identification charts. (Shortly thereafter Garlasco was suspended and then fired over his fondness for Nazi memorabilia. His false and debunked report however is still on HRW’s website.)
The Washington Post front page also links, below the fold, to live coverage. The current headline being:
Ukrainian forces pushed from Severodonetsk city’s center; NATO chief to Sweden
Again, the claim about Severodonetsk’ city center is false. The Ukrainian forces have been ‘pushed out’ of it 14 days ago. Aside from the industrial western part, the Azot factory, the city has been under Russian control since May 31.
The WaPo live coverage includes this part:
Update from key battlefields: Russia makes gains in Severodonetsk, targets bridges
Slovyansk area: Russian forces are advancing toward this city in the Donetsk region and have made minor gains north of it. Russian troops have sought to destroy bridges over the Siverskyi Donets river to disrupt the flow of supplies and reinforcements between Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, but the destruction has made it difficult for them to successfully attack Slovyansk because of challenges crossing the river, according to analysts.
Here is a map of east Ukraine with red marking the Russian held territory.
Slovyansk is on the very left side of the map. Severodonetsk and Lysychansk are on the very right side of the map. A crow will have to fly 60 kilometer (37 miles) to reach from one to the others. Now please reread the WaPO paragraph above and see if it makes any geographical sense. How would destroyed bridges between Severodonetsk and Lysychansk hinder any attack on Slovyansk?
The ‘analysts’ WaPo linked as sources for that paragraph are the neo-conservative Institute for the Study of War which is the widely quoted prime outlet for Ukraine slanted propaganda about the war. It believe that it is also the source for the false claim both papers print about Severodonetsk’s city center.
Now on towards real news: U.S. president Joe Biden has told NATO to end the proxy war in Ukraine as soon as possible.
Dr. David Lütke @DrLuetke – 20:33 UTC · Jun 12, 2022Today #NATO’s #Stoltenberg stated that #negotiations are needed for #peace in #Ukraine.
Quote:
“Peace is possible. The question is how much territory, how much independence…are [Ukraine] willing to sacrifice for peace.”Rhetoric is changing:
What happened to Ukraine winning?
video
This is the same Stoltenberg who in early April said that NATO must prepare for a ‘long haul’ in Ukraine. Who then said that the war could drag on for years. Jens Stoltenberg, who told us in May that we must put values over profits, is now talking about peace for territorial and sovereignty concessions.
It seems that someone has told Biden that there is zero chance for the Democrats to win in the midterm elections if gas prices stay beyond 5 dollar per gallon. Or maybe this Saturday NYT piece really got under his skin:
Should Biden Run in 2024? Democratic Whispers of ‘No’ Start to Rise.
In interviews, dozens of frustrated Democratic officials, members of Congress and voters expressed doubts about the president’s ability to rescue his reeling party and take the fight to Republicans.
Whatever.
Russia is winning the war. The Ukraine has lost the war and will also lose a large chunk of its territory. Its western fueled ‘resistance’ against the inevitable has seen to that. The U.S. and NATO now acknowledge that much.
Unfortunately some of Zelenski’s advisors are still unable to recognize that:
Михайло Подоляк @Podolyak_M – 7:12 UTC · Jun 13, 2022Being straightforward – to end the war we need heavy weapons parity:
1000 howitzers caliber 155 mm;
300 MLRS;
500 tanks;
2000 armored vehicles;
1000 drones.Contact Group of Defense Ministers meeting is held in #Brussels on June 15. We are waiting for a decision.
“To end the war” … Ukraine needs as many weapons as it had when the war started? What happened to those weapons? Will it also need 50 pink unicorns?
It is over. How much territory Ukraine will have to give will be decided by Russia.
Reprinted with permission from Moon of Alabama.
