Biden will meet with the families of Russia detainees Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan
NPR Online NewsAUG 2022
Day 207: Clashes Erupt in Kherson; Putin 'Failing On All Of His Military Strategic Objectives', Says UK Defense Chief
Image copyright: AP [via The Guardian]
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Experts have made it clear – the situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant presents the threat of another Chernobyl. Nuclear disaster has, miraculously, been avoided so far, but continuing risks the safety and effectiveness of staff to control the reactors could have catastrophic consequences.
Establishment-critical narrative
Although Zaporizhzhia's cooling systems will be relatively vulnerable due to their contact with the outside world, the worst-case scenario would only cause severe damage at a local level. Both Russia and Ukraine are over stating the risk of nuclear catastrophe to galvanize domestic support for the invasion and play upon Western fears to incentivize providing military and public support respectively.