Ukraine

Day 354: Ukraine Says Russian Soldier Death Rate Highest Since First Week of War

Published FEB 12 2023

Story

Image credit: AP [via The New York Post]

The Facts

After Ukraine reported "massive" shelling from Russian forces on Friday and continuing into Saturday, Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy's adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, ruled out peace talks with Russia, saying they're "out of the question."
New York Post
Despite the shelling having hit power facilities in six regions — as reported by Ukraine's energy minister — the state-owned power utility company, Ukrenergo, didn't implement any further consumption restrictions on Sunday, avoiding power cuts in Kyiv and the regions of Odesa and Dnipro.
Reuters
Shelling from Ukrainian armed forces was also reported in the Russian-controlled settlement of Polohy in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday, with officials claiming electricity and water supply lines were damaged.
CNN
This comes as Ukrainian data on Sunday indicated that, on average, 824 Russian soldiers are dying every day in February — the highest since the first week of the war. These numbers aren't independently verified, however, the UK's Ministry of Defense said the figures are "likely accurate."
BBC News
Fighting has been concentrated in eastern Ukraine around the city of Bakhmut, with the head of Russia's private military group Wagner claiming to have seized the settlement of Krasna Hora — near the city — on Sunday. The claims, however, couldn't be independently verified.
BBC News
Meanwhile, amid increasing calls for fighter jets from Zelenskyy, Polish Pres. Andrzej Duda — speaking to the BBC's "Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg" program on Saturday — indicated that Warsaw, with fewer than 50 jets, may not be able to spare any. However, he did note that providing the requested equipment would be a "joint" NATO decision.
BBC News

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Making sure Ukraine continues to be well-armed is the only way to fend off Putin and Russia in this unprovoked war of aggression. The US and NATO must not simply offer up their latest and most hi-tech weapons however; combat is about supply lines, and the West must ensure basic equipment and ammunition are kept flowing as needed.

Atlantic

Establishment-critical narrative

Multi-billion dollar weapons packages will make little difference in the outcome of the war. The US has been meddling in Ukraine since the end of the Cold War, and what we're witnessing is a geopolitical Ponzi scheme to benefit those aligned with the military-industrial complex. War is a lucrative racket.