Fluid battles and clashing narratives of the Ukraine War

War narratives are certainly shaped by the course of the battles, but they also have an impact of their own. Much as the Russian generals keep throwing their “big battalions” into the meatgrinder, Russian propagandists and diplomats persist in recycling the myth of Russia’s superior military might. Ukrainian commanders are required to show initiative and exercise a flexible response, while Ukrainian politicians are always trying to fine-tune their campaign of defiant resistance to suit different aims and audiences. Kyiv is prone to make mistakes but has shown an ability to learn from them, while Moscow typically keeps making the same old blunders. The Russian assault on Pokrovsk is relentless, while Ukraine is keeping its options open in the Kursk offensive – and amplifying its message of making a collective effort to win a just peace.