The American daily published a defeatist article on the state of the Ukrainian forces. While several Russian media and commentators welcomed it, others saw it as a destabilization operation aimed at putting Russian forces to sleep before a possible counter-offensive in Kyiv in the spring.
On March 13, two leading American dailies each published an article on the state of the Ukrainian forces and on the challenges of this pivotal period when the Russian winter offensive is coming to an end, and that expectations for a Ukrainian breakthrough in the spring are higher than ever. The subject is common, but the two papers have very different tones. The New York Times titre what “Russian attacks along much of Ukraine result in little but casualties,” while the Washington Post affirms what “Ukraine lacks qualified troops and ammunition as casualties and pessimism grow”. This second paper has been particularly commented on in the Ukrainian and Russian spheres, some pro-Kremlin accounts are delighted while others go so far as to speculate on a Ukrainian “psy-ops”, a manipulation attempt to deceive Moscow on its ability to counter-attack in the spring.
