Ukrainian Flight Commander Defects, Russia Claims – Kyiv Issues Hasty Denial

As the border conflict between Ukraine and Russia escalates, the propaganda war is also heating up. On Saturday, Russian news agency TASS reported that a Ukrainian flight commander had defected as the war between the Slavic neighbors creeps toward the two-year mark. “The Ukrainian military pilot is in Russia, consulting with the Federal Security Service,” according to Russian military helicopter pilot Alexey Voyevoda, who allegedly organized the transport for the defector to Russia. Voyevoda did not provide more details about the operation. However, according to Russia Today, the Ukrainian defector had been helping Russian forces since the war first broke out in February 2022. “The Ukrainian pilot had come down to our side from the very beginning of the special military operation and was helping us with information and in other ways,” the outlet reported, citing a Telegram post by Daniil Beznosov, the deputy information minister of the Donetsk People’s Republic. If the report is correct, this would be a major defection. Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov reacted by immediately dismissing the report as Russian propaganda. According to Yusov, Russia created this propaganda “to control for reputational damage that resulted from ‘mass surrender and defection by Russian occupiers, including officers and pilots with vehicles,'” the Kyiv Independent reported. As we approach the two-year mark of the Russia-Ukraine war, each side claims it’s winning, and each insists that operatives from the other side have defected. It’s also important to note that each side is known for heavy propaganda and bias. The dueling narratives affirm the oft-repeated quote by Greek playwright Aeschylus that “truth is the first casualty of war.” No matter which version of events is true, one thing is clear: The Ukraine war has dragged on longer than either side predicted or wanted. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the media peanut gallery insisted the conflict would end quickly, with Russia winning. Then, when the United States showered Ukraine with unprecedented amounts of military equipment and financial aid, warmongering analysts insisted Russia would crumble because its economy would crater from Western sanctions. Now —  billions of U.S. tax dollars later — the war continues unabated, with no signs of an imminent ceasefire. So who’s “winning”? It’s hard to say because there’s really no winning in war. They are only degrees of losing. What is clear is that while the Biden administration and the corporate media focus on foreign wars, the United States is buckling under the weight of relentless border invasions, crippling inflation and terrifying crime waves. This nation is imploding from multiple domestic crises. Someone has to steer the ship before we crash into a massive iceberg and sink. You hear this tip on flights: In case of a cabin pressure emergency, put your own oxygen mask on first before assisting others. What that means is, you’re useless to anyone else if you’re injured or dead. In foreign policy as in the rest of life, you cannot be of service to others if you don’t help yourself first. Is anyone in Washington listening?

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This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.