What is Ukraine's Superpower?
Plus: Burning documents at Russian consulate in Lviv?
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LVIV, UKRAINE—It seems every day we switch between total calm and frantic warnings of war. This would take a toll on most people, but here, as the headlines get weirder, a quiet resolve has taken hold. There’s a sense all this back-and-forth is a mind-game and so the people continue, with confidence, as I wrote in this USA Today story:
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is a master crafter of narratives, and the world is caught in the web. “Ukraine invaded” or “Troops enter Ukraine,” read the headlines on many places Tuesday. But it is a trick of the eye, a deft move by a deceiver: The Ukraine that Putin invaded Monday night is territory Moscow has influenced or controlled since the 2014 revolution. So far, no Ukrainian-held territory has been invaded.
But there has been a sea change, something that shook even Ukrainians: In his Monday speech, Putin made a wild case to erase the history of Ukraine as an independent country.
Just as Beijing never mentions Tiananmen Square, Vladimir Putin never in his rhetoric mentions Maidan, when protesters achieved freedom for Ukraine.
Read the story here.
Due to Heavy Smoke, Lviv Rescuers Rush to Russia's Consulate
The Russians denied entry, said 'everything is fine.'
We've heard reports of smoke the past days at Russian embassy in Kyiv and consulate in Odesa and now this morning in Lviv. This of course makes peope think the Russians are burning documents.
According to Ukrainian media Tvoe Misto, "We will add that yesterday Russia began to evacuate the staff of embassies and consulates in Ukraine."
See video here.
What American Media Outlets Need to Understand About Latest ‘Invasion’
In the video below News Nation anchor presses for clarity on what it means to say Russia has invaded. Reality: Russian has publicly entered territory it has long controlled and influenced covertly, territory that Ukrainian authorities have not been able to access since 2014. In recent days, no currently-held Ukrainian territory has been invaded.
Why does this matter? Because if Putin does invade current Ukrainian-held territory, such as the major cities of Kharkiv and Odesa, or even the capital Kyiv, that would truly be a new invasion. But perhaps falling for Putin’s rhetoric, the media has already said “Russia invaded Ukraine,” which without context makes the rest seem inevitable, when it is not. Many still dispute whether Russia could fight with Ukrainians and occupy Ukraine, where opposition to Moscow is stronger than it was in 2014 when rag-tag bands of civilians nevertheless successfully defended their cities.
Much more tomorrow, including an honest account of how crazy today was—
Joe Lindsley