Thread by @ZimermanErik

A word about the ongoing #Azovstal surrender and its effect on the #Donbass front. I believe it is no coincidence that the #Russian advance (and #Ukrainian retreat, if not collapse) has gained speed precisely as the surrender proceeds. Sure part of it is simply

https://twitter.com/ZimermanErik/status/1526370894179860482

the obvious combined effect on the two armies. #Russian troops' morale is raised by their long awaited victory. If even the lionized soldiers of #Azov are surrendering, certainly those lesser #Ukrainian ones in front them can be defeated as well - goes the thinking. On the other

hand, #Ukrainian troops' morale plummets as their lionized if not idolized, invincible troops at #Azovstal surrender. Not even defeated in battle, fighting to the last, as #Zelensky so badly wanted them to do, but surrendering. They want to live thinks the UA soldier holding

the line in Donbass, well so do I he concludes and has had enough. Sure. But I believe there is more, an important multiplier to this effect. Those not blinded by mainstream reporting know that #Ukrainian reporting is often very inaccurate to put it mildly & that their propaganda

is bold, usually effective overall, and often outlandish. In this case it went so far and was so base that it has backfired. At least when it comes to warriors. In the simplest terms, Ukraine announced the surrender of #Azovstal fighters, nearly 1000 in the last couple of days

(we will be seeing more in the coming days), as if a successful commando operation had been executed and its sieged fighters had been extricated successfully. Mainstream media parroted this and millions around the world thought it is what happened. Still most are confused as

the exact nature of what transpired. They believe it must at the least mean some sort of prisoner exchange. In reality all that happened was a surrender. As I reported this, people commented with the likes of this. Understandably as it literally repeated what UA announced.

For more details on the misreporting see the quoted thread above. In any event while the misreporting may work on western media, it did not work on the #Ukrainian soldiers. They get their news from UA sources of course and they realized the pathetic attempt at subterfuge.

The #Ukrainian soldiers saw right through the cheap veneer of the declaration. It reeks of abuse of soldiers. The gov't used lies to keep them in #Mariupol as they were encircled. It used more lies to keep them there long after it was reasonable or militarily effective. More lies

had them hold out under inhuman conditions, their wounded fellows rotting away for no apparent reason. Finally when the unavoidable end arrived, & the soldiers that decided that they have done more than duty, and will come out regardless of what the comedian in #Kiev orders, the

regime offers a whole new set of preposterous lies. Soldiers can feel the care and respect their superiors have or don't have for their lives. Much better than disinterested parties around the world, prone to believe whatever the news says to them, they can sense a government

that will use & abuse them, by any means at their disposal in order to obtain its goals. War does not follow regular economic and rational norms. A man is willing to work hard to get a bigger flat screen TV. He isn't willing to kill and die for one. Men don't fight for salaries.

Not in difficult conditions in any event. Warriors are driven by another set of rules housed deep in the recess of our brains, by an ancient code that is based on honor. The Ukrainian government knows nothing of it, and its soldiers are starting to realize it.

Bravery is contagious, and so is collapse.

#Zekelensky's lies may have begun the latter.

#Warinukraine