Tuesday, 14 June 2022 — Moon of Alabama

At 8:30 UTC today I checked the priorities of the day on major U.S. news websites.

• • On the New York Times homepage the word “Trump” appeared 10 times, “Ukraine” appeared 5 times.
  • On the Washington Post homepage the word “Trump” appeared 12 times, “Ukraine” appeared 5 times.
  • On the Wall Street Journal homepage the word “Trump” appeared 9 times, “Ukraine” appeared 3 times.

The Google Trends graph for Ukraine has fallen to near zero.

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This is a problem because it takes pressure off the Biden administration to negotiate with Russia over Ukraine and the future security architecture in Europe.

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Today’s daily ‘clobber list’ by the Russian Ministry of Defense includes an additional chapter taken from the verbal briefing:

I would like to note that in recent weeks, incidents involving the shooting of Ukrainian servicemen in the back by nationalist units have become more frequent in areas of military operations.

Thus, after a fire preparation for an attack by Russian troops near Novomikhailovka in Donetsk People’s Republic, more than 30 servicemen of the 25th Battalion of the 54th Mechanized Brigade of the AFU decided to lay down their arms and surrender.

Ukrainian servicemen occupying a stronghold near Zvioroferma asked the Russian unit command via radio to cease fire and provide a corridor for exit.

Around 10 p.m., AFU servicemen with white flags began moving towards Russian positions.

At that moment, a Ukrainian nationalist barrier unit arrived at the stronghold in armored vehicles and opened crossfire in the back on the servicemen of the 54th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

As a result of this shooting, 32 Ukrainian servicemen were fatally wounded and killed.

This incident, as well as many others like it, clearly demonstrates that amid growing military failures and demoralization of Ukrainian troops, the Kiev nationalist regime is trying to stop the retreat and surrender of its units by punitive actions of barrier squads.

I have seen no evidence that supports the details of the above incident. But there have been public reports that somewhat prominent people who are opposed to the war or criticize the Zelenski regime get picked up the Ukrainian SBU (the former KGB) or some ‘nationalist’, ie. fascist  goons to then vanish. It is thereby not astonishing to read that similar events, on a likely larger scale, are happening at the frontline of the war.

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The Ukrainian artillery is said to fire only 6,000 rounds per day for lack artillery ammunition. Yesterday 300 projectiles were fired by the Ukrainian army or by ‘nationalists’ onto civilian areas of ‘rebel’ held city of Donetsk. There were at lest 7 dead and 22 wounded. Graham Phillips provides a video report of the impacts and damage (vid). To use 5% of the daily ammunition ration to terrorize civilians in Donetsk is not only despicable but dumb as those artillery troops will now receive intensified attention they deserve.

Levi @Levi_godman – 11:42 UTC · Jun 14, 2022
❗️The DPR asks Russia to use additional Iskanders and aircraft to destroy the artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Meanwhile Russia is providing a humanitarian corridor for civilians and surrendering Ukrainian troops who leave the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk. The scheme is similar to the corridors at the Azov steelworks in Mariupol where it worked well.