Day 354: Ukraine Says Russian Soldier Death Rate Highest Since First Week of War

Facts

• After Ukraine reported ‘massive’ shelling from Russian forces on Friday and continuing into Saturday, Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, ruled out peace talks with Russia, saying they’re ‘out of the question.’
• Despite the shelling having hit power facilities in six regions — as reported by Ukraine’s energy minister — the state-owned power utility company, Ukrenergo, didn’t implement any further consumption restrictions on Sunday, avoiding power cuts in Kyiv and the regions of Odesa and Dnipro.
• Shelling from Ukrainian armed forces was also reported in the Russian-controlled settlement of Polohy in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday, with officials claiming electricity and water supply lines were damaged.
• This comes as Ukrainian data on Sunday indicated that, on average, 824 Russian soldiers are dying every day in February — the highest since the first week of the war. These numbers aren’t independently verified, however, the UK’s Ministry of Defense said the figures are ‘likely accurate.’
• Fighting has been concentrated in eastern Ukraine around the city of Bakhmut, with the head of Russia’s private military group Wagner claiming to have seized the settlement of Krasna Hora — near the city — on Sunday. The claims, however, couldn’t be independently verified.
• Meanwhile, amid increasing calls for fighter jets from Zelenskyy, Polish Pres. Andrzej Duda — speaking to the BBC’s ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’ program on Saturday — indicated that Warsaw, with fewer than 50 jets, may not be able to spare any. However, he did note that providing the requested equipment would be a ‘joint’ NATO decision.

Sources: New York Post, Reuters, CNN, and BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Atlantic. Making sure Ukraine continues to be well-armed is the only way to fend off Putin and Russia in this unprovoked war of aggression. The US and NATO must not simply offer up their latest and most hi-tech weapons however; combat is about supply lines, and the West must ensure basic equipment and ammunition are kept flowing as needed.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by AntiWar. Multi-billion dollar weapons packages will make little difference in the outcome of the war. The US has been meddling in Ukraine since the end of the Cold War, and what we’re witnessing is a geopolitical Ponzi scheme to benefit those aligned with the military-industrial complex. War is a lucrative racket.