Foreign Policy writes about the reasoning behind America’s far-right and far-left uniting against helping Ukraine. The outlet provides examples of how different actors from the polar political spectrum have been supporting Putin and spreading pro-Russian narratives. Bright cases are right-wing Tucker Carlson from Fox News, whose anti-Ukrainian claims are frequently rebroadcasted on Russian state television, and “the luminary of the American intellectual left” Noam Chomsky, who has been loudly opposing the armament of Ukraine. This trend is evident in Congress as right, and left wings are uniting against banning Russian fossil fuels or seizing Russian oligarchs’ assets. The analysis suggests the political horseshoe theory can explain this surprising unity between political extremes. One of the main reasons for this unity could be joint interest in opposing the liberal center. Despite ideological differences, both left and right politicians use similar arguments against US support for Ukraine: they blame NATO for “provoking” Putin’s aggression and claim that US aid to Ukraine could have been better spent on domestic issues. This anti-establishment joint impulse is nothing else than a spark of populism.
In a recent article, the Associated Press writes about Ukrainian soldiers on the eastern front. The Ukrainian defenders complain about the chaotic organization, desertions, and mental health problems, but they also speak of high morale, heroism, and commitment to keep fighting until the victory. Lt. Volodymyr Nazarenko, who fought in the Sievierodonetsk battle, told AP he considered the operation success as the Russian army incurred huge losses and Ukraine stalled the Russian advance for much longer than expected. Nazarenko believes Ukraine would get back all the occupied territories and defeat Russia. Another soldier – Olrksiy, who asked not to use his last name, shared more pessimistic thoughts. His unit lost 150 men during the first three days of fighting, so he did not believe that even the Western weapons would help and complained about formidable commanders. Other soldiers with no previous military experience also shared frustration about the poor organization and “illogical decision making,” leading to low morale among personnel.
CBS aired a piece about the Ukrainian LGBTQ community during the war. As the KyivPride march was forced to happen in Warsaw this year due to war, many LGBTQ Ukrainians have joined the Armed Forces to defend their countryʼs freedom and future. CBS talked to Viktor Pylypenko, a Ukrainian gay soldier currently fightinh on the eastern frontline. Viktor shared he never experienced bias from his comrades and urged other LGBTQ fighters to come out, as “only openness changes attitudes”. Another gay soldier, Borys Khmilewsky, said his primary motivation to join the Armed Forces was a willingness to live in a democratic country as a free person. Putin can’t win, as his ideology is homophobia and disrespect towards human rights, Putin canʼt win, said Borys.
As Ukraine withdraws from Lysychansk, BBC writes what it means that Russia is currently holding the whole Luhansk oblast - a key strategic aim of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. From the Ukrainian perspective, strategic withdrawal from Lysychansk was made to avoid encirclement, as was seen in Mariupol. Zelensky’s recent night address stated the critical goal for Ukraine was to save people above anything else. It seems Ukraine is getting ready to play “a long game,” buying valuable time that would bring better supplies to Ukraine and drain Russian hardware ad ammunition, writes BBC. From Russia’s perspective-taking, Luhansk oblast is one step closer to the “liberation of Donbas”. Putin has already awarded the commanders of Lysychanks operation with the highest possible award to mark the ideological importance of this battle. As for the next steps, Russia will probably continue its offensive on Donbas, particularly on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. If/after this goal is accomplished, Putin might try taking the entire south of Ukraine. However, the analysts predict Kremlins’ troops are going to be exhausted. Then Russia might declare an end to the “special military operation,” hoping to decrease Western support for Ukraine and transform the active warfare into a frozen conflict. In any case, writes BBC, the war will not end any time soon and much more suffering is upcoming.