Ukrainian town near Kyiv that was reported retaken from Russians is still contested
Source: Washington Post
MAKARIV, Ukraine Top Ukrainian government officials said Tuesday that this strategic town west of the capital, Kyiv, had been liberated from Russian forces.
Media all around the world reported the news, the latest indication that the Ukrainians were waging counterattacks and defeating the Russians in key locations, preventing them from encircling and seizing the capital.
But a visit by a team of Washington Post journalists to Makariv on Wednesday found the town still contested. Russian forces were still in control of roughly 15 percent of the town, an area they have held for nearly three weeks with little shifting of the front lines, according to the towns mayor. There were no signs that any of the roughly 15,000 residents who fled were returning to the town.
As the Post journalists entered the town, Ukrainian soldiers ordered them to leave, warning them of incoming Russian Grad rockets. Minutes later, the sound of shells falling was heard, with black plumes of smoke rising over the town. Soon more blasts followed.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/23/russia-ukraine-war-news-biden-live-updates/#link-VBZGQTNS4BATVBSEHXXJHYPVR4
"But a visit by a team of Washington Post journalists to Makariv on Wednesday found the town still contested."
Why post this?
Because the truth matters.
I understand the importance of staying positive and keeping moral up and announcing positive news as Ukraine repels the brutal Russian invaders.
The Ukrainian government issues positive reports to boost morale and to tell the world they are still fighting and can ultimately win, I understand that.
But at some point truth matters too. It's important to accurately portray the war in our media to drive home to all of us sitting comfortably in our homes thousands of mile away how desperate and hard fought the war really is to ensure that Ukraine gets the level of support from NATO and the US that it actually needs.
As the Russians brutally shell the remaining 150,000 innocent civilians surrounded and trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol, inaccurate reports of advances in a small village 60 miles from Kyiv that has been reduced to rubble, abandoned by all its inhabitants and still contested by not only the shelling but also the physical presence of the Russian invaders are, I feel, ultimately counter-productive. The truth ultimately surfaces.
The Washington Post's journalists who courageously went into the heart of this contested village deserve commendation for their physical bravery and their integrity in reporting the facts on the ground that they observed first-hand.
ck4829
(34,977 posts)llashram
(6,265 posts)whether true or not. This to me is counter-productive to the war effort by Ukrainians. Make sure Russians see this to help their propaganda effort. The Washington Post has always seemed RW in its politics to me therefore THEIR reporting is suspect. Not as bad as Hannity's station but RW nonetheless. Ukraine will get their aid no matter who is right or wrong in their reporting. There are good people at the helm of this ship of state presently. And thank god trump the Putin puppet is not in power. Putin would have taken Ukraine by now...
maxsolomon
(32,992 posts)Last edited Wed Mar 23, 2022, 01:15 PM - Edit history (1)
17K Russian dead, 6 Generals dead, half the Russian troops have frostbite, etc.
The articles on this battle yesterday said the Russians there were outflanked, not defeated.
bluewater
(5,376 posts)Ukraine has said that its troops raised the country's flag in a town in the Kyiv region after driving out Russian forces.
On Monday Ukraine said that Makariv, about 30 miles west of Kyiv's center, had been "liberated from the invaders thanks to the heroic actions of our defenders."
The statement by Ukraine's defense ministry comes amid analysis that Russian plans to storm Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, were faltering.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-retakes-makariv-from-russian-forces-as-invasion-falters/ar-AAVmdx8?ocid=BingNewsSearch
KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian forces on Tuesday battled continuing Russian efforts to occupy Mariupol and claimed to have retaken a strategic suburb of Kyiv, mounting a defense so dogged that it is stoking fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin will escalate the war to new heights.
https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2022/mar/23/ukrainian-forces-pushing-back/
Ukrainian officials said Tuesday their troops have driven Russian forces out of the strategically important town of Makariv, near Kyiv.
https://www.axios.com/ukraine-claims-makariv-retaken-202e7d83-9676-45d4-ba5e-bc17ad2cac43.html
These are just a few examples of articles that reported the Ukrainian government statement that they had retaken the town.
I think the Washington post article in the OP was indeed correct stating that such reporting had widely occurred in news sources world-wide.
oldsoftie
(12,410 posts)They actually weren't the ones reporting about the frostbite story. Our own military experts have deduced the numbers of Russian dead to be somewhat accurate. Even a pro-russian news source reported over 9,000 before being taken down.
maxsolomon
(32,992 posts)Ukraine is using propaganda to fight this war and I don't blame them.
Lasher
(27,502 posts)That's pretty close to being retaken, isn't it?
bluewater
(5,376 posts)In light of the ongoing shelling and street fighting in the city of Mariupol it seems likely that the Ukrainian government wanted to make an announcement on Monday of some success in pushing back the Russian invaders in a significant way as a counter narrative in the news coverage.
To that end, the announcement was a success.
But the facts on the ground were different, as the Washington Post journalist on scene reported today.
"Russian forces were still in control of roughly 15 percent of the town, an area they have held for nearly three weeks with little shifting of the front lines, according to the towns mayor."
The mayor's statement paints quite a different picture of how much progress had actually been made.
Lasher
(27,502 posts)Didn't the front lines just shift there?
bluewater
(5,376 posts)Not in the last 3 weeks in any case.
But let me see if I can find out how much of the village Russia ever controlled and when...
Hmmm, apparently the village has been contested for most of March:
https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-makarov-russia-1690326
Well, not regained, but we get the idea of the front lines moving back and forth. The Washington Post article quoted the mayor as saying the current front line around the village has been unchanged for the last 3 weeks.
Let me see if I can find out when the Russians first invaded the village...
On 2 March 2022, the Ukrainian military said that the town had been retaken from Russian forces by the 14th Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 95th Air Assault Brigade.[6][7] On 7 March 2022, 13 civilians were killed and 5 rescued in an air strike on a bakery and bread factory ("Макарівський хлібозавод" there.[8][9] On 9 March it was reported there was heavy fighting at Makariv and that Ukrainian troops still had control of the town.[10] On 12 March it was reported that the town had been bombarded from the north, with significant damage to apartments, schools and a medical facility operated by Adonis Medical Group.[11] On 15 March Ukrainian forces fought off a Russian attack [12] but subsequent reports implied that the settlement had been retaken by Russian forces.
On 22 March 2022, the General Staff of the Armed Ukraine Forces announced that Makariv had been recaptured from Russian forces. They added that "the Ukrainian flag was raised over the town of Makariv".[13][14][15][16]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makariv#:~:text=The%202022%20Russian%20invasion%20of%20Ukraine%20began%20on,the%20Ukrainians%20attacked%20a%20Russian%20military%20convoy%20there.
Ok, there it is. It seems that this village has been contested since the very first days of the Russian invasion, with the front line moving back and forth a bit repeatedly, but basically stalemated.
The current status of the village as reported by the Washington Post in the OP seems to be more of the same and not a major change by either side.
That was interesting to learn.
Thanks for the discussion.
mahatmakanejeeves
(56,906 posts)In Ukrainian town, reality doesnt match government boasts of victory over Russian forces
By Sudarsan Raghavan
Yesterday at 7:00 p.m. EDT
MAKARIV, Ukraine At first glance, the Ukrainian governments report that its forces had pushed Russians out of this town seemed true: Armed Ukrainian soldiers stood guard at a checkpoint at the entrance to this rural enclave west of Kyiv, seemingly in full control. ... Since Tuesday, top Ukrainian government officials had been touting what they called a key victory in their month-long war against invading Russians. They said Makariv, a key gateway for Russian forces to potentially surround and seize Kyiv, had been liberated from Russian forces and that Ukraines flag was now flying victoriously over the towns center.
Media around the world reported the news as the latest indication that Ukrainian forces were waging skillful counterattacks and defeating the Russians in vital locations. ... But as a team of Washington Post journalists passed through the checkpoint on Wednesday, Ukrainian soldiers ordered them to quickly leave the town, warning of incoming Russian rockets or artillery. Minutes later, reporters heard the sound of shells falling. Black plumes of smoke rose over the houses. Soon more blasts followed.
Makariv remains a contested front line. ... The military doesnt control all of Makariv, only partially, said Mayor Vadim Tokar, standing on the towns outskirts shortly after the shells landed. Its 100 percent no-go for civilians to return.
[Latest updates from the Ukraine war]
What happened here is emblematic of the two different yet intertwined wars unfolding in Ukraine, one taking place on the battlefield, the other in the realm of propaganda to shape public perceptions and bolster morale and support. Russia has been by far the more aggressive source of wildly inaccurate information starting with Vladimir Putins false and historically inaccurate justifications for the invasion. But, as the Makariv situation illustrates, Ukrainian officials have also sometimes spread overly rosy information about the war.
{snip}
Siobhán OGrady in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Volodymyr Petrov in Makariv contributed to this report.
By Sudarsan Raghavan
Sudarsan Raghavan is a correspondent at large for the Washington Post. He has reported from more than 65 nations on four continents. He has been based in Baghdad, Kabul, Cairo, Johannesburg, Madrid and Nairobi. He has covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the 2011 Arab revolutions, as well as 17 African wars. Twitter https://twitter.com/raghavanWaPo