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Ukraine denies report of Russian blood supplies, says its purpose ‘is to spread panic and fear in our society’

January 30, 2022 | | Print Article

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Geopolitical tension between the U.S. and Ukraine is reportedly up amid a disputed disclosure that, in addition to amassing tens of thousands of troops along the Ukrainian border, Russian President Vladimir Putin has also dispatched supplies of blood for wounded soldiers.

The disputed disclosure was made to Reuters by several anonymous U.S. officials.

“A Russian troop buildup along its border with Ukraine includes supplies of blood for the wounded, three U.S. officials [said]. …. The disclosure by the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, adds to growing U.S. concern that Russia could be preparing for a new invasion of Ukraine as it has amassed more than 100,000 troops near its borders,” the outlet reported Saturday.

However, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar has denied the legitimacy of the disclosure.

“This information is not true. Such ‘news’ is an element of information and psychological war. The purpose of such information is to spread panic and fear in our society,” she’s written on Facebook.

Зараз інтернетом шириться інформація з посиланням на анонімні джерела про те, що Росія нібито спрямувала запаси крові…

Posted by Ганна Маляр on Saturday, January 29, 2022

It wasn’t clear whom she’s accusing of spreading “panic and fear” — Russia, the United States or the media?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s own critical rhetoric suggests that Malyar’s words are aimed the U.S.

“Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the West not to create panic amid the build-up of Russian troops on his country’s borders. He told reporters that warnings of an imminent invasion were putting Ukraine’s economy at risk,” as reported by the BBC.

The remarks were made Friday.

“We don’t have a Titanic here. I don’t consider the situation now more tense than before. There is a feeling abroad that there is war here. That’s not the case. I am not saying an escalation is not possible … [but] we don’t need this panic,” he said.

“Because of all these signals that tomorrow there will be war, there are signals even from respected leaders of states, they just say that tomorrow there will be war. This is panic — how much does it cost for our state? The greatest risk for Ukraine… is the destabilisation of the situation inside the country.”

And indeed, the remarks were made only hours after he’d spoken with President Joe Biden in a call that “did not go well,” as a senior Ukrainian official told CNN. At issue is the Biden administration’s insistence that some sort of conflict is imminent.

“On the call, which the Ukrainian official described as ‘long and frank,’ Biden warned his Ukrainian counterpart that a Russian attack may be imminent, saying that an invasion was now virtually certain, once the ground had frozen later in February,” according to CNN.

But Zelensky pushed back, both during the call and after.

He “restated his position that the threat from Russia remains ‘dangerous but ambiguous,’ and it is not certain that an attack will take place, the official said,” CNN reported, citing the unnamed official.

Speaking with reporters the following day, Zelensky added, “I’m the president of Ukraine, I’m based here and I think I know the details deeper than any other president.”

The Biden administration has for its part denied everything — that the call hadn’t gone well, and that tension with Ukraine isn’t up. Yet even CNN, a close administration ally, appears to see through the smoke and mirrors.

“The discord speaks to a persistent concern within Ukraine that it is being used as a pawn in geopolitical drama between the United States and Russia, and that its concerns are secondary to a broader set of disputes between two world powers. Even as Washington seeks to refute that notion, Ukrainian officials have become more outspoken about feeling ignored amid the mounting tensions,” the outlet notes.

“That has frayed nerves in both capitals. Even as the White House seeks to project its utmost support for Kyiv, including through shipments of military equipment and new funding, some officials privately say the backing is being met without much thanks from Zelensky’s government.”

It seems as if the Biden administration is blowing the situation between Ukraine and Russia out of proportion and then turning around and demanding Ukraine bow submissively in gratitude for receiving “help” that it doesn’t even want.

And indeed, in his remarks to reporters on Friday, Zelensky added, “I can’t be like other politicians who are grateful to the United States just for being the United States.”

Interestingly, many Americans both on the left and right appear to share Zelensky’s annoyance with Biden, albeit for different reasons. They think he should be focused on issues at home instead of obsessing over another country’s borders:

Vivek Saxena
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