Ukraine dam hit by Russian missiles in Zelenskyy’s hometown
Al JazeeraDec 24, 2022
Day 204 Roundup: Zelenskyy in Car Crash as Russian Missile Strikes Cause Flooding in Kryvyi Rih
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Image copyright: AP Photos [via AP News]
The Facts
Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy was involved in a car crash on his return from a visit to troops in the Kharkiv region, his spokesman Sergii Nikiforov said on Thursday. He reportedly didn't suffer serious injuries after a passenger vehicle collided with his presidential motorcade. The unnamed motorist received medical attention from Zelenskyy's medical team and was taken away by ambulance, Nikiforov said. The spokesman also added that the circumstances of the crash were being investigated.
It comes as European Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv for her third visit to Ukraine on Thursday. She said she would address, "how to continue getting our economies and people closer while Ukraine progresses towards accession" to the bloc. Meanwhile, at the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand, Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping held their first face-to-face talks since the beginning of the war.
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 an 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.
