Ukrainian Troops Build-Up Near Dnipro River

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Facts

  • Ukraine's armed forces general staff stated Thursday that Russia had shelled Pishchanivka, a village located roughly 3km (two miles) east of the Dnipro river in the southern Kherson region. The statement apparently confirmed reports that its troops have crossed into the eastern bank, but provided no details of their current location.1
  • General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi had stated a day earlier that counteroffensive operations in the south were proceeding as planned towards the Sea of Azov, stating that troops had achieved partial success to the south of Robotyne.2
  • This comes as the Ukrainian Parliament has given its initial approval for the 2024 budget, which is said to set revenues at 1.7T hryvnias ($46.4B) and a spending target of 3.3T hryvnias — half of which will go toward the defense sector.3
  • On Friday, the White House is expected to submit a supplemental funding package request to Congress worth $100B, $60B of which will likely be sought for Ukraine despite Congressional Republicans having become divided over whether to continue to support Kyiv.4
  • Elsewhere, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday met with North Korea's Kim Jong Un during a two-day visit to Pyongyang, where he expressed gratitude to the latter's 'unwavering support' for Moscow's military actions in Ukraine and pledged Russia's 'complete' support and solidarity for Kim.5
  • Also on Wednesday, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva — an editor at the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — was arrested on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent when entering Russia and of collecting information on the Russian military to pass along to foreign sources.6

Sources: 1BBC News, 2Independent, 3The Telegraph, 4NBC, 5The Guardian and 6Al Jazeera.

Narratives

  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT International. Before Hamas attacked Israel, the entire Western world was focused on Zelenskyy and helping him defeat Russia. However, as public support for Ukraine wanes and other global conflicts erupt, it seems that Ukraine's already failing counteroffensive will be left up to Kyiv alone. Neither Europe nor the US actually believes Ukraine can win this war, which is why they've decided to slow their words of encouragement and put the spotlight on a different ally.
  • Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by 1945. Moscow has resorted to pretending that Ukraine's counteroffensive isn't working. In fact, Ukraine's Western-supplied anti-tank guns have given forces a stronger impact and longer range, while the efficacy and precision of Ukrainian strikes have improved thanks to high-tech drones. Despite developments elsewhere in the world, Ukraine continues to put up a strong fight.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The National Interest. It's true that Ukraine is losing this war, but that's not the fault of Kyiv. The two sides could have reached a peace deal that left Ukraine satisfied during talks in Belarus, talks mediated by Israel, and talks in Istanbul. Unfortunately, the US — which is actually at war with Russia via its Ukrainian proxy — blocked any potential ceasefire. Washington knew from the beginning that Ukraine wouldn't have the equipment or funding to defeat Moscow, but it pushed the nation onto the front lines anyway, resulting in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary casualties.

Predictions