Top commander fired after wife of one malnourished soldier posted shocking images on social media

Ukraine’s defence ministry has fired a top commander after photos emerged of a group of emaciated soldiers who have been left on the frontline for months without proper food and water.

The scandal erupted after the wife of one of the soldiers, Anastasiia Silchuk, posted the images on social media. The four men appeared to be pale and visibly malnourished, with prominent ribcages and thin arms. An emaciated soldier standing with his shirt off The fourth soldier. Photograph: i.petrovna_/Threads

The soldiers had spent eight months defending a shrinking bulge of territory on the left bank of the Oskil River, near the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, their relatives said. Supplies of food and medicines could only be flown in by drone.

“When the lads arrived at the frontlines, they weighed over 80–90kg. But now they weigh around 50kg,” Silchuk posted. After one delivery, she said, no more food turned up for 10 days. The soldiers were forced to drink rainwater and melt snow to survive.

  • subversive_dev@lemmy.mlEnglish
    15·
    2 days ago

    When I say the word propaganda I mean it in the technical sense “information crafted into a narrative and spread for a political purpose”.

    A YouTuber I follow called Willy OAM says that the winning side’s propaganda will exaggerate and the losing side’s will fabricate. I think this is a perfect example.

    The Russians announced that they had taken Kupiansk. In retrospect this was premature (exaggeration). In response Zelensky claimed in the caption to his picture that Ukraine had retained full control over Kupiansk, while providing for proof a picture taken 3 km southwest of the western bridgehead and other key central areas of the city (fabrication). Even (honest) mappers that are pro-Ukrainian did not find this evidence compelling to support his claim, but of course the Western press uncritically reported it as fact and a great embarrassment to the Russians.

    Now, months later (at the start of the spring offensive) the Russians are pushing out from the bridgehead into Western Kupiansk. Moreover, they have been taking huge swaths of territory southeast of Kupiansk on the east side of the Oskil (this is the region where the starved defenders from the article were/are). Are those same Western outlets coming forward to say say they were wrong about Kupiansk? Do you think that will ever happen? Or will it be like Pokrovsk where they were still pretending the city is in contention when the contact line is tens of kilometers to the northwest?

    • Kissaki@beehaw.orgEnglish
      6·
      1 day ago

      Russia has employed lying in propaganda in and out of the context of war since the beginning and before it. I don’t see that as any meaningful measure. You have to look for the facts and indications beyond the propaganda without being distracted by the propaganda or trying to meta-analyze it. Both sides will try to make their spins, and try to exaggerate and paint to the maximum of their ability in their respective environments.

      For Russia, smoke screening is part of its narratives and political defense. I haven’t noticed such systematic lying beyond what I would expect in wartime propaganda from Ukraine.

      Press landscape is its own share of issues and part of what makes propaganda so important, effective, and necessary.

      Ukraine has losses, but, with its limited resources, Ukraine is also very successful in defending and in striking into Russia. And to retain support, they have to utilize propaganda/publicity, to stay in the public and international eye, and continue to receive support. And they’re very effective in that too.

      • subversive_dev@lemmy.mlEnglish
        11·
        1 day ago

        Russia has employed lying in propaganda in and out of the context of war since the beginning and before it

        Such as?

        You have to look for the facts and indications beyond the propaganda without being distracted by the propaganda or trying to meta-analyze it.

        How exactly would that work? Are you assuming that there is some objective truth that is somehow magically outside the realm of propaganda? How would we access this truth?

        I haven’t noticed such systematic lying beyond what I would expect in wartime propaganda from Ukraine.

        How about overstating Russian casualties by at least 6 to 1? How about celebrating and crowing about the disastrous counter-offensive in Kursk? What about completely ridiculous and insane air defense shoot down percentages they claim even while not having any air defense interceptors?

        Press landscape is its own share of issues and part of what makes propaganda so important, effective, and necessary.

        I completely agree that propaganda is an essential front in war. Do you actually believe that the media is in any way independent from that? Have you observed that Western outlets simply cite Ukrainian propaganda uncritically? (see: Russian casualties as a glaring example)

        Ukraine has losses, but, with its limited resources, Ukraine is also very successful in defending

        No, this is incorrect. When the war started, Ukraine massively outnumbered Russian forces on the field. (Roughly 800k versus 200k). Over the course of this war they have squandered every advantage by literally fighting like Nazis. By that I mean refusing to withdraw from positions being encircled and wave after wave of hopeless counter-attacks that are accelerating their force attrition. Even Sirski is forced to admit that the UA is shrinking, while the number of Russian forces in the field is growing.

        and striking into Russia.

        Yet Russian oil exports continue to grow. Perhaps these attacks on Russian energy infrastructure are not as successful as the Western media would have you believe.

        And to retain support, they have to utilize propaganda/publicity, to stay in the public and international eye, and continue to receive support. And they’re very effective in that too.

        I certainly agree that Ukraine has been effective in promulgating their propaganda narratives in the western press. Of course they have a lot of help from Western intelligence