On the 24th of February 2022, the world watched with undisguised horror as Russia began its cruel invasion of Ukraine. What world leaders had feared for a long time had finally come to fruition. If you’re anything like me, your news feed would have been brimming with articles about Russia’s latest offensives and, more importantly, Ukraine’s steadfast resistance and courage in the face of terror. But where has this coverage gone? Ukraine is most definitely still under attack from Putin and his armies, yet the news rarely seems to report about the latest updates of the conflict. Do they simply not care?
It would be futile to ignore that news sites are commercial businesses, constantly trying to get a new personal-high of readership from their stories, and Ukraine hasn’t offered a happy-ever-after to, in Lionel Shriver’s words, satisfy readers’ “fictional appetites”. However, surely the purpose of the news should be to report the un-blemished truth, regardless of if it fits the exact arc of a fairytale.
Ukraine faces new developments every single day. Even Vladimir Putin announced in December 2024 that “There is movement along the entire front line. Every day.” For example, on the 7th of February 2024, Russia’s Defence Ministry announced that they had taken control of the city of Toretsk. As a coal-mining city, it was a strategic aim for Putin to capture. Whilst Ukraine’s military denied this new claim of victory, it is indisputable that heavy fighting continues in the area and is worthy of being reported.
What is even more insulting is the uninterrupted platform given to the United States. Every day, news sites are flooded with articles covering what President Donald Trump did today, or what new controversial idea Elon Musk has announced today. Even the BBC’s World News page looks more like a US propaganda site than a page representing Global issues. 7th February 2025 saw the BBC publish articles titled ‘Dozens of Countries back international criminal court after Trump sanctions’, ‘What is USAID and why is Trump poised to ‘close it down’?’, and ‘USAID could slash staff to hundreds after placing most on leave’. The lack of variety is striking.
Furthermore, any coverage of Ukraine that is spotted in this sea of Ameri-centric broadcasting is aimed to show a US perspective. For instance, the Guardian reported on Trump’s communication with Putin on the 9thof February. Whilst any coverage of Ukraine should be applauded during this drought, it is focused on Trump’s political image and his earlier 2023 promises to end the war in “24 hours”.
What many do not seem to realise, is this is helping Putin in his propaganda and war missions. In a void of criticism and attention, Russia’s President has been able to more covertly continue his hostile war. As Oliver Darcy reported for CNN, this “drop in attention paid to Ukraine has been nothing short of a boon for Putin”.
Support for Ukraine has never been more crucial. The country has seen heartbreaking losses with 1 million estimated to have been wounded or killed. As of the 21st of October 2024, 11,973 civilians had lost their lives and 26,000 were injured. In Mr Jenča’s words, “death and destruction is also a daily occurrence away from the areas of active fighting”. Lack of coverage has limited the aid raised in support of those remaining in Ukraine. 1.5 million people remain unreachable in areas occupied by Russia such as Donestsk and Kherson. After June of 2022, philanthropic donations to Ukraine dropped in frequency and size.
Ukraine is still in need of help. I will end this article with a quote from Lionel Shriver, “Sitting back and giving Ukrainians just enough weaponry to keep fighting to the last man and woman, only for the country to finally end up where we always knew it would, is not just immoral. It’s murder.”
Image: LukasJohnns on Pixabay