KYIV

“THE UKRAINIAN WITHDRAWAL from Avdiivak is not a clever advance to the rear, nor a strategic move to save lives, nor the abandonment of useless real estate after making the Russian army pay a terrible price in blood. It is a defeat and a significant defeat. That’s defeat. D.E.F.E.A.T.”

The words of our reporter were cut off before the rest of his copy could make it to our newsroom.

Later, a few more lines made it to us.

“… it has been the practice of Western Media to portray every captured blade of grass as a strategic triumph for Ukraine … every Russian advance as a waste of blood for Vladimir Putin for useless gain … this is impossible to disguise… there is panic among some of my colleagues from the West who are being asked to put a positive spin on the loss of Avdiivka. They have no more excuses …”

We are still trying to make contact – ED.