But do not let the wall-to-wall coverage of Biden’s “rhetorical escalation” distract you from the literal, bloody escalation of Putin’s shock troops. You may have heard of the six rockets fired by Russia at the Ukrainian city of Lviv, even when Biden was speaking directly across the border. But what about reports of white phosphorus munitions used by Russian troops on Saturday night – just as much of the Western world was confused about Biden’s assessment of Putin. Ukrainian forces in Avdiivka shared photos of white phosphorus raining down, days after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned people that Russia was using “phosphorus bombs against peaceful people in Ukraine”. The use of an extremely toxic chemical known for its ability to burn, as one chemical weapons expert put it, “very dynamically” through the human flesh — this is an escalation that everyone should be talking about. Do you want another one? The mayor of Slavutych announced on Saturday at least three civilian deaths as he said the northern city had been occupied by Russian troops. He said the decision to surrender was made to save civilian lives – and asked relatives to identify the bodies. Imagine how many Ukrainians were anxious about whether their missing were dead or alive, while so many in the West focused on Biden’s speech, acting as if his comments were somehow drastically changing the course of the war. Their stories came to the fore as Western commentators speculated on how Russia might respond to Biden’s remark. The story of the survivors in Mariupol who were forced to bury their loved ones – or even complete strangers – in graves that were hastily dug in the yards of apartment buildings. The story of the funeral home that literally gave empty coffins because there are so many corpses on the street. “When burying the dead, put at least some kind of information about the person in the coffin,” the director of the funeral home, Nikolai Saparov, strongly advises on Facebook. Ukrainians who said they had managed to get out of Mariupol alive took to social media to express the nightmares they had seen playing in their minds – and the fear that people in the West no longer wanted the reality of war. in their media. This may make it easier for you to break Biden’s remarks instead. “Unfortunately, many people do not want to hear about torn legs, feces in buckets and dead children with ashes instead of lungs,” a Twitter user wrote after saying he had left the devastated city. It is difficult to see directly what is happening in Ukraine for too long, and at some level people are rather tired of hearing about all the dead children. But do we not owe it to the people who stand up to Putin on behalf of the whole world to stay focused on what is important there? For the real escalation. For war crimes. In cities that have been wiped off the face of the earth. In case you missed it throughout the Biden drama, Russian forces abducted hundreds of staff and sick patients from a Mariupol hospital on Saturday, according to local authorities. The soldiers found the civilians having taken refuge from the incessant bombing in the basement of the building and abducted them “by force”. Sick people in need of urgent treatment. He was transported under the threat of a weapon, probably to somewhere in Russia. But yes, for sure, let’s continue to fight over the consequences for Biden, who points out that Putin is a bad man.
