Day 196: UK's New PM Pledges Support to Ukraine; Another Russian-Appointed Official Killed in Car Bomb

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Facts

  • In her first call as head of state on Tues., Britain's new PM, Liz Truss, pledged her "full backing" for Ukraine in a call with Pres. Volodymyr Zelensky. A statement released by Downing Street said: "In her first call with a counterpart since becoming prime minister, she reiterated to the Ukrainian leader that he had her full backing, and Ukraine could depend on the UK's assistance for the long term."
  • Truss, a Conservative, also spoke with US Pres. Joe Biden. According to the White House, the two "discussed the importance of continued close cooperation on global challenges, including supporting Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression, addressing the challenges posed by China, preventing Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon, and securing sustainable and affordable energy resources."
  • Elsewhere, in a wide-ranging speech addressing the Eastern Economic Forum on Wed., Russia's Vladimir Putin said it would be "impossible" to leave the country isolated, and that Moscow would defy the West's attempts to exclude it from the world stage, stating new opportunities were presenting themselves in the East.
  • In Ukraine, a fourth official appointed by Russia to hold a position in an occupied territory has been killed in a targeted attack. Bardin Artem Igorevich died in hospital of injuries sustained after a bomb detonated in his car in the city of Berdyansk in the Zaporizhzhia region on Tuesday, Russian officials confirmed. The bomb is the latest in a string of similar attacks.
  • Although little to no information was available about Ukraine's southern counteroffensive on Wed., Ukrainian sources reported continued Russian shelling of the regions of Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk, where three civilians were reported killed and two more were injured in the last 24 hrs. Pro-Russia separatists in Donetsk said one civilian was killed and four were injured. Ukraine's Zelenskyy said fighting was "fierce" all along the front lines in his nightly address.
  • Meanwhile, the UN's António Guterres has again called for a demilitarized zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) presented its report to the UN Security Council on Tuesday. He said Russia needs to withdraw its troops, while Ukraine had to pledge not to move its forces in.

Sources: UK Gov, Ukrinform, Yahoo, Euro Weekly News, Pravda, and Guardian.

Narratives

  • Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by PBS. 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, as provided by National Security Archive. 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.

Predictions