Russia claims it captured Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine after 16+ months of fighting — CNN.
Ukraine Defense Ministry denies losing control, says town remains under Ukrainian forces.
Town had 12,000 people before war, now in ruins. 1/
DeepState maps show Ukraine still holds the western part.
If fully seized, Russia would gain high ground and could threaten key cities in Ukraine’s defensive “fortress belt”: Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, and Kostyantynivka. 2X
Russia can’t win by force, so it wages cognitive war to confuse, delay, and paralyze decisions in the West.
Its goal: get others to do less so it can do more[and win Ukraine in war], Nataliya Bugayova for Foreign Policy.
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Putin knows NATO's economy dwarfs his. If the West backs Ukraine fully, Russia loses. So he pushes false premises:
– Russian victory is inevitable
– Western aid is pointless
– Russia deserves a sphere of influence
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Russia hits every platform: state media (TASS, RT), foreign conferences, diplomacy, international bodies, and social media. It links these with cyberattacks, drills, sabotage, and military strikes.
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European Pravda explains how much Europe will cut if Ukraine misses deadlines: in Q2 2024, Ukraine failed 3 of 4 reform targets — Brussels cut the €4.48B tranche to €3.05B. If delays continue, Ukraine risks losing another €1B from the next €2B payment.
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This cut was not linked to July’s NABU rollback. That law sparked protests, but the EU reduced the tranche due to earlier delays Kyiv had known about since spring.
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Missed indicators:
— Vocational education reform
— Selection of High Anti-Corruption Court judges
— Reform of territorial executive power
Only the ARMA law passed, unlocking €500M.
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RIA Novosti mocks Ukraine’s army, praises Russia’s, and accuses the West of feeding Ukrainians into a meat grinder for show.
Here’s how their propaganda works, step by step.
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RIA calls Western praise of Ukraine a paradox. They say media outlets[The Economist, Atlantic Council] praise Ukraine’s very-very strong army while also reporting collapsing trenches, failed logistics, falling morale, desertions, and encircled positions.
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They write that Ukrainian losses already double the mobilization rate. That Ukraine’s army shrinks before your eyes. That Zelenskyy’s allies plan to remove him.
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