The Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny did not say that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had turned into a clown show. He only emphasized that despite the lack of crucial weapons and equipment, the Ukrainian military are gaining ground every day.
Russian media met the recent interview of the Ukrainian Forces Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhnyi in the Washington Post newspaper with a wave of disinformation, manipulation and distortion. Taking Zaluzhny’s words out of context, pro-Kremlin media declared that the Ukrainian general accused the West of turning the Ukrainian counteroffensive “into a clown show.” Russian media also claimed that the Ukrainian commander-in-chief confirmed the mass destruction of Leopard tanks on the battlefield, and advised all Ukrainian soldiers to prepare for a worst-case scenario as soon as possible.
Let’s review the main fakes that Russian media is peddling about this The Washington Post interview with General Zaluzhny.
Fake 1: “Zaluzhny accused the West of turning the war into a clown show. European and American politicians sit on the couch with popcorn and wait for the outcome of the bloody carnage… Apparently, after all the failures both on the military and diplomatic fronts, he literally staged a public rebellion against his Western partners.”
Fact: In the Washington Post interview Valery Zaluzhny talked about the course of the war and assessed Russia’s performance on the battlefield.
The Ukrainian general said nothing about the counteroffensive and the war turning into a clown show. Commenting on the successes of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Zaluzhny emphasized that despite the lack of crucial weapons, Ukrainian troops ‘’gain some ground every day — even if it’s just 500 meters — every day’’. That is why Zaluzhny is ‘’pissed off’’ with claims that the Ukrainian counteroffensive “has started slower than expected’’.
‘’It’s not a show the whole world is watching and betting on or anything. Every day, every meter is given by blood.”… “Without being fully supplied, these plans are not feasible at all. But they are being carried out. Yes, maybe not as fast as the participants in the show, the observers, would like, but that is their problem.” – Zaluzhny said.
Ukraine’s President expressed a similar opinion earlier about the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Volodymyr Zelenskyi emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will advance on their territory at their own pace, adding that the war in Ukraine is “not a Hollywood movie” and the lives of Ukrainian citizens are at stake. Read more on this in the StopFake article Fake: Ukraine’s President Zelensky Disappointed with Country’s Counteroffensive.
Fake 2: “All Ukrainian soldiers need to prepare for a worst-case scenario as soon as possible… The Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief speaks about the Ukrainian Army’s offensive potential decline, the Russian troops moving to a counteroffensive.”
Fact: Zaluzhnyi said nothing about Ukrainian soldiers needing to prepare for the worst-case scenario as soon as possible. Responding to The Washington Post journalist’s question about Russia’s likely actions in Ukraine, including the organization of the Wagner militant group in Belarus and the possibility of Russians using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, Zaluzhny emphasized that Ukraine’s Armed Forces are ready for “worst-case scenarios”. The Commander-in-Chief emphasized that Ukraine will not surrender to Russia.
‘’Our task is to prepare for the worst and most possible scenarios. And we will try to minimize the possible consequences of what could be.… “It doesn’t stop me at all,” Zaluzhny said about the possibility of a nuclear strike. “We are doing our job. All these signals come from outside for some reason: ‘Be afraid of a nuclear strike.’ Well, should we give up?”.
Fake 3: “The Commander-in-Chief emphasizes that the German Leopard tanks are simply targets for Russian aviation, they are of no use.’’ ”Regarding the widely advertised Western equipment, Zaluzhny quite insultingly stated that on the battlefield, the Leopard is not a Leopard, but a target”, “the Ukrainian Forces commander-in-chief actually admitted to sending Ukrainian soldiers to their death in a counteroffensive to convince the West of the need to speed up the supply of F-16 fighter jets.”
Fact: Russian statements about the “useless” Western weapons on the battlefield simply continue the Kremlin’s ubiquitous narrative about unnecessary aid from Ukraine’s allies.
In The Washington Post interview, Zaluzhny said nothing about Leopard tanks being useless. He noted that during the counteroffensive, Ukraine did lose several vehicles. However, Zaluzhny emphasized that the equipment did not arrive in Ukraine to be paraded in peaceful cities, but to conduct combat operations against the invader. All weapons and personnel in Russia’s war against Ukraine become a target for invaders. This was the context of Zaluzhny’s remark about Leopard tanks.
‘’We didn’t get Leopards to ride in parades or have politicians or celebrities take pictures with them. They came here for the war. And a Leopard on the battlefield is not a Leopard but a target.’’ – Zaluzhny said.
The Commander-in-Chief also called on NATO countries to speed up the delivery of modern F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Zaluzhny explained that without modern aircraft air cover, Ukrainian troops become vulnerable to airstrikes by the Russian invaders.
“Nobody is saying that tomorrow we should rearm and get 120 planes. Why? I do not need 120 planes. I’m not going to threaten the whole world. A very limited number would be enough. But they are needed. Because there is no other way. Because the enemy is using a different generation of aviation. It’s like we’d go on the offensive with bows and arrows now, and everyone would say, ‘Are you crazy?’ — Zaluzhny said.
Russian media are increasingly spreading more and more disinformation about the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine, trying to prove how “inefficient” they are to Ukraine in repellingRussian aggression. Detailed analysis of this narrative can be found in this, this and this StopFake stories.
