Ukrainian city of Sloviansk hit by ‘massive shelling,’ mayor says
PBS NewsHourSep 09, 2022
Day 133 Roundup: Donetsk Governor Urges Residents to Evacuate, G20 Foreign Ministers Gather in Indonesia
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Image copyright: Reuters [via Al Jazeera]
The Facts
Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor for Kramatorsk, has urged the region's 350K residents to evacuate amid anticipation that Russia will escalate its attacks in the region. The city became Ukraine's administrative and military center of the Donbas region after pro-Russia separatists took the city of Donetsk in 2014.
"The destiny of the whole country will be decided by the Donetsk region," Kyrylenko said. "Once there are less people, we will be able to concentrate more on our enemy and perform our main tasks."
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.
