Day 61 Roundup: Five Killed in Railway Station Strikes, Mariupol Denies Ceasefire Agreement
The Facts
- At least five were killed and 18 injured after five railway stations were struck in western and central Ukraine on Mon., according to Ukrainian officials, as heavy fighting reportedly continued in Luhansk and Donetsk.
- Meanwhile, Ukraine has denied Russian reports that a ceasefire agreement was reached around the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol on Mon., with Deputy PM Iryna Vereshschuk stating "A corridor announced unilaterally doesn't provide security, and therefore isn't a humanitarian corridor."
- Elsewhere, explosions were reported in Transnistria, a breakaway Moldovan republic controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Ukraine claims these were "planned provocations," after Moscow previously said the region could be drawn into the war, saying there were instances of "oppressing the Russian-speaking population."
Sources Split
LEFT
CENTER
RIGHT
+2
ESTAB
CRIT
CENTER
PRO
ESTAB
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.
Metaculus Prediction
There is a 36% chance that Putin and Zelenskyy will meet to discuss the peaceful resolution of the Russian-Ukraine conflict before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
