"In Ukraine, there are rumors of a coup to oust Zelensky as he has lost the support of the troops apart from the despicable as an off-battalion, which has surrendered 2500 fighters in Metropole," said Jeffrey Prather, host of Brighteon.TV's "The Prather Point" during its June 3 episode.
Ukrainian soldiers who were called into action and sent to the Donbas region to fight the Russians are said to be angry at their chain of command for not properly supplying them with the necessary weapons and equipment. (Related: So much "news" coming out of Ukraine appears to be completely fabricated.)
In recent days, presidents and prime ministers in the west, including the Democratic and Republican party leaders in the United States, have called for victory for Ukraine, but this may not have the same definition in the United States, Europe, or even in the country itself.
In the past few days, there had been an Italian proposal for a ceasefire, a promise from Ukraine's leadership to push Russia back to its borders, which existed before the invasion began on February 24. The discussion included a "strategic defeat" for Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could ensure he is incapable of mounting a similar attack again.
After months of unity in response to the attack, with a flow of lethal weapons in Ukrainian hands and financial sanctions against Russia, it's the tension about what to do next that became the issue.
What began as an effort to make sure Russia did not have an easy victory over Ukraine shifted when the Russian military began to make error after error and failed to take Kyiv. It became a chance to punish Russian aggression, weaken Putin, and send a message to both NATO and China to prove that aggression is not rewarded with territorial gain.
As Zelensky put it on the 50th day of the Russian invasion in April, nobody expected his country to survive -- even world leaders advised him to flee.
"But they didn't know us, and they didn't know how brave Ukrainians are, how much we value freedom."
While his response has been forceful, Zelensky led his county in mounting an unexpectedly fierce resistance, rallying Ukrainians to the fight with a video address on social media for each day of the war, in nightly reminders that he has not fled, and that Ukraine has survived. (Related: Russia transitioning from "special operation" in Ukraine to taking aim at all of NATO in sweeping "demilitarization" move.)
The Ukrainian president has spoken by video link to address world leaders, entertainment heads, and journalists, even going so far as to hold a news conference in the safety of the Kyiv subway.
He also spoke about his fellow Ukrainians' anger and pain from the devastation of the country and the untold deaths that came with it.
"My heart breaks from what Russia is doing to our people," he said in March after Russian bombs killed hundreds who were taking shelter in a theater in Mariupol.
Severodonetsk a symbolic loss that kept Ukraine from losing siege
Ukrainian troops have ceded most of Severodonetsk to the Russians -- a symbolic loss, but one that military analysts say will spare them from a protracted and likely losing siege.
"Kyiv could have committed more reserves and resources to the defense of Severodonetsk, and its failure to do so has drawn criticism, the" U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said in a recent analysis.
"Both the decision to avoid committing more resources to save Severodonetsk and the decision to withdraw from it were strategically sound, however painful. Ukraine must husband its more limited resources and focus on regaining critical terrain rather than on defending ground whose control will not determine the outcome of the war or the conditions for the renewal of war," it went on.
Amid the offensive on Severodonetsk, the Ukrainian defense ministry's spokesperson, Oleksandr Motuzianyk said Russian forces were trying to encircle their troops in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and are regrouping to launch an offensive in Sloviansk, which is a strategic city that may be shaping up as the focus of the next battle.
The battles in the east are being fought in open terrain compared to the urban environment in Kyiv, which explains the urgency with which Ukrainians have requested heavier weaponry: artillery systems that can strike at a longer range, in particular.
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Watch the video below for more commentary about current events from Jeffrey Prather.
New episodes of "The Prather Point" goes live every Friday from 10:00 a.m. on Brighteon.TV.
More related stories:
Europol fears that weapons sent to Ukraine will end up in the hands of criminals.
Zelensky: Russian troops control 20% of Ukraine on 100th day of invasion.
Russia's investigation concludes that USA exploited Ukraine to develop illegal biological weapons.
Russia's nuclear forces hold drill as Biden approves more military aid for Ukraine.
Some of the weapons delivered to Ukraine will be used against us.
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