Putin’s War on Truth Warps Reality for All of Us
AtlanticDec 23, 2021
Day 67: First Civilian Evacuations from Mariupol Steelworks; Speaker of the House Meets Zelenskyy in Kyiv
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Image copyright: AFP [via The Telegraph]
The Facts
Ukraine is currently working to evacuate civilians from the Mariupol steelwork after a ceasefire was agreed on Sat., the country's Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Sunday. Roughly 100 people have reportedly left as of Sunday.
Around 1K people are still believed to be living underneath the plant, reportedly in dire conditions, with limited food, water, and medical supplies. Russia has estimated that about 2K soldiers are stationed at the besieged steelworks.
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 their promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided tragedy in Ukraine.
