Day 125 Roundup: Shopping Mall Death Toll Rises; Türkiye Backs Sweden, Finland NATO Bid
The Facts
The death toll of a Russian missile strike that allegedly hit a Ukrainian shopping mall in Kremenchuk on Mon. has reached at least 18, with 59 others wounded and 36 still missing. G7 leaders have condemned the alleged attack on a target which Ukraine's Pres. Zelenskyy has said contained more than 1K civilians.
Russia, meanwhile, has denied striking the mall, claiming to have instead struck a nearby depot of ammunition for Western weapons, which it said ignited a fire in the shopping center. Moscow further claimed the mall wasn't in use. This couldn't be independently verified.
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 a fraudulent 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.
