🇺🇸 Ukraine’s Gains

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Ukraine’s Gains

Ukraine’s army chief says the nation’s military has recaptured roughly 3,000 square miles of seized territory this month as the armed conflict with Russia is now past the six-month mark. As has been the case since fighting first began in February, there’s ongoing speculation as to which side is winning.

Reporting From the Right: Retreating Russian troops target Ukraine’s power grid in revenge move: Zelensky (New York Post)

Reporting from the Left: Ukraine's stunning counteroffensive in Kharkiv and Donbas (Yahoo News)

From The Flag: Russia’s Defense Ministry has admitted its troops are falling back and regrouping, while reports suggest the Ukrainian army’s recent counteroffensive has been highly effective. Here’s the latest from both sides.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Victory Is Within Reach In This Vestige of the Cold War

• There are a series of main reasons why Ukraine is winning including support from the West and President Zelensky’s leadership.

• After the shooting stops and the last bombs have been dropped, the US will need to wage a successful psychological war in Russia.

• Over 30 years after declaring its independence, Ukraine may be on the doorstep of finally achieving freedom from Russian influence.

“The four factors that explain Ukraine’s extraordinary military success” Max Boot, Washington Post Opinion: “The internet is full of images of jubilant Ukrainian civilians being freed from the yoke of Russian occupation. … How is it that Ukraine been so successful at besting its larger neighbor? I see four factors at work. First, Western aid has been vital. …the second factor explaining its extraordinary success — is the unity of the Ukrainian people behind Volodymyr Zelensky’s government. His decision to stay in Kyiv in the war’s early days, at considerable risk to his life, secured his place in the pantheon of great wartime leaders. … The third factor that explains Ukraine’s success is the ingenuity, skill and fighting spirit of its armed forces. … The fourth and final factor that explains the war’s unexpected course is the corruption and stupidity of the Putin regime. Russian commanders have squandered their material advantages through incompetent leadership aggravated by terrible intelligence.”

“Waging Psychological War Against Russia” David R. Shedd and Ivana Stradner, POLITICO Opinion: “The fight for Ukraine will not just be won on the battlefield. For all the high-tech weaponry the West has delivered, psychological war against Russia remains a key opportunity for the United States. Historically, such an approach focused on selling Russians on the American dream. But this strategy is a relic of the Cold War, ill-suited to present-day Russia. Instead… U.S. information operations should use Russian nationalism to turn the tables on the Kremlin — highlighting the war’s damage to Russia, exposing government corruption and inequities inside Russia, and exploiting resentment among Russia’s ethnic minorities. These, dare we say, Russia-style tactics will bear more fruit than tales about the wonders of American democracy. …through the widespread use of VPN internet access, the United States can deliver information inside Russia as well as use Russian surrogates to post social media messages on Russian platforms.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Ukraine is reliving a promise it made on this day in 1991 Maximilian Hess, Al Jazeera Op-ed

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Ukraine’s Military Strategy Is Effective, but Beware Putin’s Bite

• The Ukrainian military achieved its recent victories through sleight of hand, first focusing on Kherson, then rapidly shifting to Kharkiv.

• Western officials must now grapple with the reality Putin is losing and increasingly desperate: would he use a nuclear weapon?

• The Russian military’s reputation has been tarnished and it has taken losses, yet Ukraine is hardly a “winner” in this conflict.

“Why Ukraine’s counter-offensive is working” David Patrikarakos, Unherd: “(Sunday) marked the 200th day of the war, and if last week saw intense fighting around the country’s second city of Kharkiv in the northeast, just 40km from the Russian border, the weekend saw it turn into something more like a mass Russian retreat. Ukraine has now retaken the logistics base of Izyum — the biggest defeat for Moscow since it failed to take Kyiv. Zelenskyy claims Ukraine has retaken 30 settlements and 2,000 square kilometres since the counteroffensive began. The Institute of War suggests this could be as high as 2,500 square kilometres. … It’s a clear victory for Ukrainian strategy. Around two weeks ago, Kyiv stepped up its shelling of the Russian-controlled Kherson region in the country’s south. This, commentators agreed, was the arrival of the long-expected Ukrainian counter offensive. Kyiv kept striking the south and then suddenly, three days ago, they attacked the Kharkiv region in the northeast, catching the Russians off guard.”

“Ukraine Takes the Offensive” Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal: “Ukraine’s counter-offensive against invading Russian forces is an important turn in the war, though not without peril as Vladimir Putin calculates how to respond. Western leaders have to be prepared that he will use nuclear weapons, or attempt to involve NATO directly in the conflict. … A nuclear escalation can’t be accepted as normal warfare. Radiation fallout could reach NATO territory. NATO will have to increase its military aid and let Ukraine take the fight inside Russia. We hope Western leaders are making clear to Mr. Putin that he will become a global pariah if he does go nuclear. The prospect is horrific to contemplate, but this is the reality of a world with dictators on the march after decades of Western complacency. Ukraine’s advances are encouraging, but Mr. Putin’s threat to the world is far from over.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Winners and Losers From the Ukraine War Patrick Buchanan, Real Clear Politics

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More Concern Over Changing Climate and Rising Prices

Polling data suggests the world community is more concerned about climate change and cost of living increases in comparison to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Asked to rank the world’s top-three concerns, 36% of respondents included climate change.

In 18 of the 22 countries surveyed, under 40% listed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as one of the world’s top three most concerning issues (Datapraxis /YouGov for the Open Society Foundations).

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