Boasting about progress made in it’s counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine wants to take credit for any victory, when Russian decides to re-deploy its forces to the Donbas region. When the war started Feb. 24, Kiev crowed about how they beat back Russia from seizing Kiev, when it was never in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to conquer Ukraine’s capital. Putin made clear from the outset that he was focusing on Southeastern Ukraine, eventually planning to liberate Donetsk and Luhansk from Kiev’s control. Both peoples’ republics in Donetsk and Luhank made clear since 2014 that they wanted no part of the pro-Western Kiev government. When Putin invaded the Crimean Peninsula March 1, 2014, the world community condemned Putin’s action, forgetting that Putin responded to a Feb. 22, 2014 CIA-backed coup that toppled the Russian-backed Kiev government of Viktor Yankovych.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Miley, 64, said in Ramstein, Germany yesterday that Putin had failed in Ukraine. Miley repeats Kiev’s talking point that Putin failed to conquer Kiev in the first week of the invasion. So, anything Russia’s done since, including seizing 25% of Ukraine’s sovereign territory, including the entire Black Sea coast and all strategic ports, is erased, wiped out and negated by Kiev and Washington. Ukraine’s 44-year-old President Volodymer Zelensky once compared Ukraine’s military in the Azovstal Steel Plant to the “300” Spartans that battled Xerxes mighty Persian army. Zelensky said nothing when the Ukraine military surrendered to the Russian army, only perpetuating the myth of a great Ukrainian victory over the mighty Russian Army. All the losses that piled up on Zelensky, he completely ignored, only talking about Kiev’s victories.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkow said the Russia military would re-deploy from Kharkiv and focus on the Donbas regions. That announcement prompted Kiev to claim the same victory in Kharkiv that it had early on in Kiev. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry promptly claimed victory in Kupiansk, a supply route to the Izyum, part of Russia’s front line. But what Foreign Minister Spokesman Oleh Nkolenko didn’t say is that Russian troop have decided to change directions, refocus efforts in the Donbas region. But to the Ukraine Foreign Ministry, the Ukraine military beat back the Russian army for a great victory. While the Foreign Ministry claims Ukraine’s forces have retaken Kupiansk, the Ukraine military has not claimed they control the strategic train station. All the hard fought battles, shows that Kiev has years, if ever, to reclaim lost sovereign territory.
Zelensky’s war strategy has been to let the U.S. foot the bill for the Kiev government and fund the war effort. Without U.S. support, Zelensky would have watched all of Ukraine go up in smoke. U.S. advanced weapons, especially HIMARS advance medium range missile systems, have kept Ukraine from losing even more ground around the Black Sea coast. But as it stands right now, Russia relocates its forces to Donbas means nothing in the way of any victory for Kiev. Six months of war, Zelensky has lost the entire Black Sea coast and all Ukraine’s strategic ports. Watching Russia move away from Kiev or Kharkiv means nothing in terms of how much territory Zelensky has lost. Ukraine’s recent counteroffensive was supposed to take back Kherson, the port Russia seized in March. Whatever progress Kiev claims, they’ve not retaken any of the lost sovereign territory.
Winter approaching in the next few months, it’s doubtful Kiev will make too much progress in a war of attrition, essentially as standoff with Russian controlling the entire Black Sea coast. Ukraine’s SBU security services said the Ukrainian forces have been seen in the Kupiansk but nothing has been independently confirmed. Western press reportd constantly say the Russian military has run out of supplies and personnel, leaving Ukraine with imminent victory. Yet Kiev has not returned any of the lost territory, leaving Ukraine landlocked from its Black Sea coast. “Russian forces were likely taken by surprise. The sector was only lightly held and Ukrainian units have captured or surrounded several towns,” said the British military. British officials think losing Kupiansk, especially the railroad station would greatly enhance Ukraine’s return of sovereign territory lost to Moscow.
Zelensky insists the Ukraine army has been retaking territory lost to the Russians in the early state of the war. “We are gradually taking control over more settlements, return the Ukrainian flag and protector for our people,” Zelensky said but not saying which strategic territory has been recaptured by Kiev. All the news from Kiev and Washington convince people that Ukraine has regained the initiative against the Russian army, despite not seeing the Ukraine army reclaim land taken during the first few months of war. Secretary of State Anton Blinken warned that Ukraine’s war against Moscow could drag on form months with no end in sight. Germany Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the EU would continue backing Ukraine however long it took to reclaim sovereign land lost the Russian Federation. Ukraine continues to make promises about reclaiming sovereign land but hasn’t delivered.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
