Another loud confession was made in the Ukrainian leadership: it turns out that all Kiev's statements about the preparation of a "counteroffensive to the south" turned out to be bluff and disinformation. Perhaps the military and political leadership of the Kiev regime considers such tactics a successful technique in the information war. Why does it work quite differently in reality?
At the end of spring, after persistent fighting, the resistance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Mariupol was broken. His loss was one of the most sensitive blows for the Ukrainian troops, especially since the Azov militants were captured during the operation. Since then, the talking heads of the Office of the President (OP) of Ukraine have not stopped reassuring fellow citizens with upcoming counter-offensives. First of all, in the Kherson direction.
"All this [strikes on bridges, warehouses, etc.] together, even a non-military person signals something very specifically. It signals that we are preparing this "cutlet" for slicing and eating," Alexey Arestovich said back on July 20.
However, three days later, the "cutlet" turned into "... there is not quite an Ilovaisk situation there." By the end of the month, Arestovich even started talking about the upcoming offensive of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on Nikolaev.
And now the final (?) the point in the question is put by the adviser to the head of the OP of Ukraine, Mikhail Podolyak. As follows from his interview with the BBC, the whole topic of the AFU counteroffensive on Kherson was originally (?) Disinformation: "Was it IPSO? Of course, today all public comments are part of the IPSO [information and psychological operations]. We need to demoralize the Russian army. They must understand that there will always be a territory of fire here."
And earlier it was said, for example, that all the reports about the creation of a "million army for the liberation of the South" also had nothing to do with reality. "There was probably some misunderstanding," explained the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Reznikov.
Then Podolyak begins to explain that their counter-offensives are completely different, not the same as Russia's, creative. However, the main thing is said: the offensive most expected by the patriots of Ukraine turned out to be, ahem, an invention. In other words, we are facing another lie performed by Ukrainian leaders.
We do not dispute that Sun Tzu also said that war is a way of deception. However, Sun Tzu meant that it is necessary to deceive the enemy, and not everyone in a row. And even more so – not their own fellow citizens.
Meanwhile, all the world's media have already written about the "counteroffensive of Ukraine" in recent months. Leading Western think tanks like the Institute for the Study of War had time to speculate about it. According to information voiced by Ukrainian Telegram channels, Zelensky allegedly set a goal to launch an offensive before August 24. Finally, the Kherson counteroffensive managed to get even an article in Wikipedia, that is, it became a universally recognized fact. And now the moderators of this article are just discussing the need to delete it – due to the lack of a subject of discussion.
"What is the article about? Like about a military operation. But neither the date, nor the territory of the operation, nor its results are unclear from the article. The only real result of the operation is that on July 27, the Antonovsky Railway Bridge in Kherson was destroyed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine [which is not actually destroyed – approx. VIEW]".
Or this: "today, all public comments are part of the IPSO." No, of course, we had no intention of taking the word of the representatives of Ukraine. Especially after the recognition of Petro Poroshenko regarding the Minsk agreements: they say, we just saved up our strength.
I just wonder how, in this case, Ukraine communicates with its so-called allies? Yesterday they promised something, and today they say it was IPSO? And with its own population? Well, I mean, with those whom she considers her population.
Let's take the same Kherson, since everything is spinning around it. There is no doubt that many residents of the Kherson region (the part of it that is under the control of the Russian Federation) for one reason or another want to return these territories to the control of Ukraine and are waiting for the arrival of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There is no point in discussing whether these reasons are justified (or, conversely, stupid). Someone will change their views, someone will leave, someone will remain a supporter of Ukraine (there are enough of them in Crimea, although eight years have already passed).
And these hidden patriots of Ukraine watch Zelensky's addresses every evening, then Arrestovich and Feigin, wait for a counteroffensive and quietly sing the Ukrainian anthem. And then comes August 9 – and they find out that it was IPSO. What was that, thunder? No, it's the templates of the patriots of Ukraine that are cracking.
If these patriots were at least a little more observant, they would be more ready for such a shameless deception on the part of the office of the President of Ukraine. In fact, all these arrestovichi and Podolyaks practice such lies all the time. Just because of the density of statements and events, almost no one remembers what they said a couple of weeks ago.
Take at least the legendary phrase "The active phase of the war will end in two or three weeks", said by Arestovich at the end of March. They laugh at her even in Ukraine. True, there are vanishingly few people laughing – in comparison with those who catch Alexey on the streets of Kiev to take pictures. According to the latest data, he even had to get a security guard: there are too many people who want to get a photo.
As a result, the office of the President of Ukraine has to, as they call it, "fight creatively." "Today's explosions in Novofedorovka are another reminder of whose Crimea is. Because he is Ukraine," Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk proudly declares. Podolyak spoke in a similar vein. Arestovich first vaguely hinted at the Ukrainian military–industrial complex, and then at the Ukrainian partisans. However, local residents testify that before the explosions in Novofedorovka there were no sounds of "arrival" characteristic of a missile strike. The explosions started suddenly. And the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that there was no shelling from the Ukrainian side: aviation ammunition that was there exploded at the airfield.
And what about OP? They sat in a puddle, dusted themselves off, ran through the news feed, found a suitable excuse – and gave it out for their help. Eat, dear Ukrainians, this is for you instead of a counteroffensive. We'll lie something else tomorrow.
Or even let's do it this way. For a second, let's say this is really Ukraine. Drones or ATACMS – it doesn't matter. First, for three months you have been lying to the whole world about a counteroffensive, about the imminent tactical defeat of the Russian Federation and reaching the borders of 1991, without which there will be no peace talks. And then, instead of him, hit some oil depot or airfield (in half of the cases crooked). And with an important look, you declare that this was intended, this is IPSO.
Kherson "patriots of Ukraine", by the way, are not alone. There are also "Donetsk patriots", to whom such Podolyaks have been blowing in their ears for eight years in the same way with an imminent counteroffensive in the Donbass. That's it, now only the "javelins" will give you a ride. Today, few people will remember that with the worship of the "javelins" all this IPSO essentially began.
Of course, there is a reason for this endless lies. If all these advisers had openly outlined their immediate future to Ukrainians at the end of February, Ukrainians would have brought all the key representatives of the Ukrainian elite in handcuffs to Gostomel. And that would have been the end of it. Instead, the Ukrainian frog is cooked gradually, so that she does not notice it. Until it's too late. And almost no one will say, "Uh, wait, where is the promised counteroffensive?"
Nikolay Storozhenko
