A sideways look at Ukraine war news

Chris Johns

I write a (short) daily post for Powerscourt, a Strategic Communications company, based in London and Dublin. The idea is to summarise the news flow around the war in Ukraine - not so much the news that makes the front pages but more the stuff that we find interesting/relevant. News that may have not attracted the attention it deserves. Anyone interested in receiving the short email on a daily basis is welcome to contact Powerscourt here: insights@powerscourt-group.com.

Monday 22nd May

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prighozin says his troops have finally ‘liberated’ Bakhmut, ‘fighting house to house’. His words conjure a somewhat dystopian image as there are few - if any - buildings worthy of the name left standing. Prighozin also says his soldiers will now get some R&R, with regular Russian forces performing the occupier role. Ukrainian officials have been dropping broad hints that their recapture of territory around the shattered city, including some high ground, means that whoever begins the task of Bakhmut’s occupation risk constant sniper and artillery attacks from the flanks - and maybe even encirclement. 

Yet again, Joe Biden has agreed to Ukrainian requests for more sophisticated weapons systems, after months of saying no. This latest U-turn is about aircraft, the F-16 fighter. The US won’t, for now, be supplying the planes directly, but has given permission for allies to do so. On the face of it, US strategy seems to be one of continual testing, incrementally, Russia’s boundaries. Or perhaps just responding to evolving Russian capabilities. The Russian airforce has, so far, gone missing. American officials routinely say that Ukraine’s military needs are ground based, including systems designed to keep Russian planes in their hangars.  

Having sent all the kit necessary for Ukraine’s spring/summer counter offensive, the White House says attention can now be turned to sophisticated aircraft. As unconvincing as that sounds, nobody has a coherent, complete explanation for the need for Zelenskiy to make daily requests for months, tour word capitals, attend G7 meetings, before anyone agrees to his appeals for more and better kit. Maybe he is really is good at changing important people’s minds.