Key Sources for Tracking the War
Daily western mainstream media reports, as in the Guardian or New York Times for example, can be useful, but are presented within institutionally determined frames that are full of presumptive righteousness, including overdependence on unreliable Ukrainian sources, that distorts their selections (of topics and sources) and diminishes their value.
Of sources that keep a very close account of what is happening on the ground, the following are particularly useful: they pay serious attention to Russian, Ukrainian and Western defense sources and I find that their framing, while sometimes pitched in adversarial mode against what they suspect to be western disinformation practices, is far less intrusive.
I do sometimes wonder how far this kind of close reading of events on the ground actually takes us, perhaps particularly at the moment when rather little substantive change appears to have occurred since the Russian takeover of Lugansk (now several weeks ago). However, I am also keenly aware that this appearance of “little change” may be deceptive, because small quantitative advances may have very big qualitative implications, particularly if, as seems to be the case, it is in the Donbass, especially, that Ukrainian fortifications have been strongest.
But yes, it is absolutely important to take into account the bigger picture(s) as well as looking at ground developments. This is why I tend to prioritize the reports of Alexander Mercouris, but New Atlas is also helpful.
The bigger picture(s), as my “critically linking the NATO war” posts should make clear, include the startling imperfections of western sanctions policies and the interrelated patterns of blowback that they incite.
Such blowback is especially evident in the realms of energy supply. There are sometimes converging, sometimes diverging narratives here as between oil, gas, coal and green energy, and the different methods by which these can be delivered). Food (in)security; and inflation, are others. To these should be added the many different narratives about weapons, of which the most important and worrying, are nuclear. There is also the absurd lack of accountability in the massive flow of arms (and western taxpayers’ money) to Ukraine, which as I have argued recently, raises very worrying questions about where these weapons are actually going when they do not turn up in Ukraine (which may be most of them). The character of the Ukraine regime itself, its current economic and military crises, the public relations shenanigans of Zelenskiy, and the overall scale of anti-democratic, oppressive, authoritarian and corrupt practices, must also be subject to close examination.
Also very important is the bigger picture of an emerging World War III scenario, for which NATO is undoubtedly the principal hustler. This ties together the Ukraine, Taiwan and Iranian fronts, in particular, and, somewhat lesser points of potential ignition, such as the Balkans (especially Kosovo), or Turkey in the Black Sea, Ngorno-Karabakh, and Venezuela. T
There is scarcely any part of the world in which it would not be possible for an irresponsible aggressor to provoke conflict that might contaminate larger regions.
Intelligent analysts must try to pay very careful attention to China and Russia over Taiwan and Ukraine. They should also widen their gaze to the newer alliances that now challenge the old, not least the BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, EurAsian Development Bank and the like.
Other parts of the bigger picture(s) to watch out for are what seems to be the increasing impoverishment of Europe (not to mention deterioration in the quality of its leadership) and increasing dependence of the European ruling elites on the USA, at the very time that the USA itself is becoming existentially weaker.
I try to pay particular attention to issues of media, censorship and propaganda, including the extent to which practically all western mainstream media and their electronic platforms have increasingly aligned themselves with or have been subjugated by western intelligence agencies, not infrequently in the guise of “fact checking” mechanisms and (dis)information warfare.
Here are the sources for monitoring of the war-on-the-ground that I would recommend:
Alexander Mercouris You Tube Channel Alexander Mercouris
The Duran The Duran
Military Summary Channel Military Summary
New Atlas New Atlas
Gonzalo Lira Second Channel Gonzalo Lira
I am bringing these to your attention at this point, not because I think this is anything like a complete record, but because I hope my readers will have a better sense of where they can look for immediate updating. My own schedule over the next few months will grow increasingly complex as I have many projects ongoing. By no means will I abandon my SubStack diaries but they may not be quite as regular.