{"id":1673,"date":"2022-03-24T19:23:04","date_gmt":"2022-03-24T19:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linksus.net\/in-makariv-reality-doesnt-match-the-propaganda-the-washington-post\/"},"modified":"2022-03-24T19:23:04","modified_gmt":"2022-03-24T19:23:04","slug":"in-makariv-reality-doesnt-match-the-propaganda-the-washington-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/2022\/03\/24\/in-makariv-reality-doesnt-match-the-propaganda-the-washington-post\/","title":{"rendered":"In Makariv, reality doesn't match the propaganda – The Washington Post"},"content":{"rendered":"

MAKARIV, Ukraine \u2014 At first glance, the Ukrainian government\u2019s report that its forces had pushed Russians out of this town seemed true: Armed Ukrainian soldiers stood guard at a checkpoint at the entrance to this rural enclave west of Kyiv, seemingly in full control.
Since Tuesday, top Ukrainian government officials had been touting what they called a key victory in their month-long war against invading Russians. They said Makariv, a key gateway for Russian forces to potentially surround and seize Kyiv, had been liberated from Russian forces \u2014 and that Ukraine\u2019s flag was now flying victoriously over the town\u2019s center.
Media around the world reported the news as the latest indication that Ukrainian forces were waging skillful counterattacks and defeating the Russians in vital locations.
Hostomel
Bucha
Brovary
Makariv
Irpin
Kyiv
10 MILES
Dnieper
River
Sources: Maps4News\/HERE, OpenStreetMap, and ESA
THE WASHINGTON POST
Hostomel
Bucha
Brovary
Irpin
Makariv
Kyiv
Dnieper
River
10 MILES
Sources: Maps4News\/HERE, OpenStreetMap, and ESA
THE WASHINGTON POST
Hostomel
Vyshhorod
Bucha
Irpin
Makariv
Brovary
Kyiv
10 MILES
Dnieper
River
Sources: Maps4News\/HERE, OpenStreetMap, and ESA
THE WASHINGTON POST
But as a team of Washington Post journalists passed through the checkpoint on Wednesday, Ukrainian soldiers ordered them to quickly leave the town, warning of incoming Russian <\/i>rockets or artillery. Minutes later, reporters heard the sound of shells falling. Black plumes of smoke rose over the houses. Soon more blasts followed.
Makariv remains a contested front line.
\u201cThe military doesn\u2019t control all of Makariv, only partially,\u201d said Mayor Vadim Tokar, standing on the town\u2019s outskirts shortly after the shells landed. \u201cIt\u2019s 100 percent no-go for civilians to return.\u201d
Latest updates from the Ukraine war<\/a><\/span>
What happened here is emblematic of the two different yet intertwined wars unfolding in Ukraine, one taking place on the battlefield, the other in the realm of propaganda to shape public perceptions and bolster morale and support. Russia has been by far the more aggressive source of wildly inaccurate information \u2014 starting with Vladimir Putin\u2019s false and historically inaccurate justifications for the invasion. But, as the Makariv situation illustrates, Ukrainian officials have also sometimes spread overly rosy information about the war.
A visit to Makariv also opens a window into how much the fog of war is making solid information hard to come by. Journalists are increasingly finding it difficult to reach areas outside the capital to independently verify facts, because of bombardments, rapidly shifting front lines and Russian military positions \u2014 even as Russia\u2019s advance remains largely stalled.
On Monday, Andriy Nebytov, the chief of police for the Kyiv region, visited Makariv and in a Facebook post accurately described the situation there. \u201cThe city is under constant shelling of enemy artillery. Shattered roofs and windows burned by the flames \u2026 There are no people on the streets. Every second house is damaged or destroyed.\u201d
On Tuesday morning, Nebytov posted a video of his visit, including inspirational battlefield music, and images of a Ukrainian flag that had been downed by Russian shelling but was once again defiantly draped over a municipal building.
By Tuesday evening, Ukraine\u2019s Defense Ministry had seized on that image and declared that Makariv had been liberated. \u201cThanks to the heroic actions of our defenders, the state flag of Ukraine was raised over the city of Makarov, the enemy was driven back,\u201d the ministry said in a statement.
Senior government officials have continued to declare that Makariv is no longer occupied by Russians. \u201cFrom official sources, we received information that a small city, Makariv, and almost all of Irpin are already in the control of Ukrainian soldiers,\u201d Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told reporters Wednesday.
Tokar, the mayor, said the reality on the ground was different. As of Wednesday, he said, Russian forces were still in control of roughly 15 percent of the town, an area they have held for nearly three weeks with little shifting of the front lines. There were no signs Wednesday that any of the roughly 15,000 residents who have fled since the Russian invasion began last month were returning to the town.
And despite Nebytov\u2019s triumphant video, Tokar said the town was far from under control. “Since that video was made, three persons were killed here,\u201d he said.
Tokar also put up the Ukrainian flag. On March 14, he said, a Russian shell landed near the municipal building and destroyed the flagpole, but left the flag more or less intact. Two days later, he put the flag back when the bombardment subsided. It was a symbolic gesture, he said.
“We put up the flag not to show that Makariv is liberated but to raise the morale of the citizens and the soldiers who are defending Makariv,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is part of our identity and we need to have it. All the Ukrainian cities have it and only those which are occupied don\u2019t.\u201d
Even without the propaganda, Makariv, roughly 30 miles west of Kyiv, has in many ways been a success story for Ukrainian forces. The Russians are trying to use it as a possible entry point to topple the national government in the capital. And so far, as in other areas around Kyiv, the Russian advance has stalled because of the Ukrainian forces\u2019 remarkably successful guerrilla-style tactics.
On Feb. 28, four days after the war started, Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers entered the town but were repelled by members of the Territorial Defense Forces, the mostly civilian militias that have risen up to defend Ukraine. Tokar said they used rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles, shooting from their vehicles.
“The Russians didn\u2019t expect to be ambushed in this way,\u201d he said.
How Kyiv\u2019s outgunned defenders have kept Russian forces from capturing the capital<\/a><\/span>
Two days later, Ukrainian military forces arrived, deploying artillery batteries, rocket launchers and pickup trucks mounted with heavy machine guns in the area to fend off the Russians.
\u201cMakariv is in between two groups of Russian forces,\u201d said Tokar. \u201cIf Ukrainians can hold this town, some of the Russian forces would be cut off from each other.\u201d
But the human toll has been extensive. Over the past month, 12 members of the territorial defense units have been killed and 15 wounded, including three killed in a Russian shelling Tuesday as they were evacuating residents, Tokar said. About 30 civilians have died in the shelling or been fatally shot by Russian soldiers. While he didn\u2019t have figures for Ukrainian military casualties, he said that most days \u201csomebody is killed in the military.”
On Wednesday, fewer than 1,000 residents were still living in the town \u2014 out of a prewar population of about 15,000. Those whose houses were destroyed in the shelling are spending nights in the basement of the town\u2019s hospital, Tokar said. On Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, shells that fell near the facility destroyed a few cars but did not cause any injuries, he added.
Tokar, a 39-year-old former lawyer, has had his own life turned upside down during this month of war. Days before the invasion, he had taken his wife and two small children to a nearby village as a precaution. But when the Russian forces arrived, they positioned themselves between that village and Makariv.
A few days later, Tokar and a friend sneaked past the Russians along a side road and rescued his family. He sent them 350 miles away to an area of western Ukraine that the fighting has not reached.
Tokar now spends his days in Makariv helping the remaining residents find food, water and medical care, or evacuating others from the town. He spends most nights there even though there is no electricity or running water in many parts of the town. He said shelling often intensifies in the darkness. He speaks to his family once a day wherever he can get cellphone reception. He keeps pictures of his two children, Anya, 6, and Zahar, 8, with him in his car. But he is not leaving.
Tall, burly and dressed in camouflage gear, Tokar became emotional when talking about his family and the town\u2019s human losses.
\u201cI was born here,” he said. \u201cI grew up here. This is my land.\u201d
Wednesday afternoon, as Tokar spoke with The Post, he was preparing to return to the center of Makariv with a Ukrainian military unit during a lull in the Russian shelling. But he told the soldiers to go ahead as he stayed to answer a few more questions.
On Wednesday night, he called to say the soldiers he sent ahead soon found themselves next to a house that was demolished by Russian shelling, killing an elderly man.
Siobh\u00e1n O\u2019Grady in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Volodymyr Petrov in Makariv contributed to this report.<\/i>
The latest: <\/b>Russian forces are shelling from the sea and vivid new satellite images show widespread destruction<\/a>, as Moscow\u2019s siege of the strategic port city of Mariupol<\/a> enters a bloody new phase. President Biden is expected to announce new sanctions against Russia this week when he travels to Brussels to meet European leaders<\/a>.
The fight: <\/b>Russia \u2014 which has launched more than 1,000 missiles so far \u2014 is increasingly relying on \u201cdumb\u201d bombs to wear cities and civilians down<\/a>. Russia\u2019s assault on Ukraine has been extensive with strikes and attacks across the entire country<\/a>, and Russia has been accused of committing war crimes<\/a>.
The weapons: <\/b>Ukraine is making use weapons like Javelin antitank missiles<\/a> and Switchblade \u201ckamikaze\u201d drones<\/a> from the United States and other allies to combat the superior numbers and heavier weaponry of the Russian military.
Oil prices: <\/b>Sanctions on Russia are helping gas prices hit new highs. Here\u2019s why \u2014 and how long the surge could last.<\/a>
In Russia: <\/b>Putin has locked down the flow of information within Russia, where the war isn\u2019t even being called a war<\/a>. \u201cInformation warriors\u201d from around the world are working to penetrate Putin\u2019s propaganda wall<\/a>.
How you can help:<\/b> Here are ways those in the U.S. can help support the Ukrainian people<\/a> as well as what people around the world have been donating<\/a>.
Read our full coverage of the <\/i>Russia-Ukraine crisis<\/i><\/a>. Are you on Telegram? <\/i>Subscribe to our channel<\/i><\/a> for updates and exclusive video.<\/i>
Analysis\u2022<\/span>
News\u2022<\/span>
News\u2022<\/span><\/p>\n

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MAKARIV, Ukraine \u2014 At first glance, the Ukrainian government\u2019s report that its forces had pushed Russians out of this town seemed true: Armed Ukrainian soldiers stood guard at a checkpoint at the entrance to this rural enclave west of Kyiv, seemingly in full control.Since Tuesday, top Ukrainian government officials had been touting what they called […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":869,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1673"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1673\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}