Day 173 Roundup: Russia Advancing on Bakhmut in Donetsk; Ukraine Strikes Headquarters of Russia's Wagner Group
The Facts
Amid continued fighting and heavy artillery fire across several fronts in the Donbas region over the weekend, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian troops achieved "partial success" in the direction of Bakhmut, but that it continued to hold-off Russian offensives on other axes.
In its daily briefing, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Mon. that Russian shelling and artillery fire was recorded in over 70 villages and settlements in the Donbas as well as in the regions of Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after an election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
Pro-Russia narrative
NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.