Seeking to avoid another major failure, Putin has become more hands-on with his commanders, refusing their requests to retreat from the last Ukrainian city under Russian control
Business InsiderDec 24, 2022
Day 215: Gun Attack at Russian School; Two More Burial Sites Found in Izyum
Image copyright: Reuters [via BBC]
The Facts
At least 13 were killed and 21 injured on Monday, when a gunman opened fire at a school in the city of Izhevsk, central Russia. Seven of the school's 1k pupils were reportedly among those killed, as were two security guards and two teachers. The region will observe a period of mourning until Sept. 29.
The news came as Kazakhstan announced it will not recognize ongoing referendums on the potential annexation of eastern regions of Ukraine currently occupied by Russian forces. "We reconfirm our readiness to provide all possible assistance to the establishment of a political dialogue," said foreign ministry spokesperson Aibek Smdiyarov.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
As the war shifts to the strategically important Donbas region of Donetsk, the US and its allies need to continue to do everything in their power to arm Ukraine with all the weapons they need. Doing so is the only way to push Putin's forces back as was done in Kyiv.
Pro-Russia narrative
As stated by Putin, the whole purpose of the war was never to invade Kyiv, but to liberate the ethnically Russian people of Donetsk and Luhansk, who have been subjected to systematic killing by Ukrainian forces for not recognizing the 2014 coup in Kyiv.