**Western Media Fails to Recognize Russia’s Aggressive War on Ukraine**
In the aftermath of Ukraine’s successful Operation Spiderweb, which damaged over 40 Russian strategic bombers on June 1, President Trump took a phone call with Vladimir Putin. During their conversation, Putin warned that he would have to respond to the attack. However, instead of condemning Russia’s aggressive actions, Western media outlets ran with headlines that framed Ukraine’s defensive measures as “retaliation.” This misguided approach ignores the fact that Russia is waging a war of conquest on Ukraine.
**Russia’s War Crimes Go Unreported**
The reality is that Russian missiles have been raining down on Ukrainian cities and civilians with alarming regularity. The latest episode saw Mykola and Ivanna, a young couple planning to get married, killed in their apartment building in Lutsk. A 1.5-month-old baby and a 14-year-old girl were among 21 wounded in an attack on Kharkiv. These are not statistics, but human lives lost or irreparably damaged.
**Understanding the Concept of Retaliation**
It’s essential to grasp that retaliation is a right reserved for those who have been attacked, not for the attacker. Russia cannot be considered the victim of its own unprovoked war of aggression. Ukraine has every right to defend itself against Russia’s illegal actions.
**The Kremlin Loves It When We Use Their Vocabulary**
By adopting Putin’s narrative and using terms like “retaliation,” Western media outlets are inadvertently excusing Russia’s crimes. This is a pattern that has defined Western coverage of the conflict, perpetuating Moscow’s central lie that both sides are equally at fault.
**A War of Conquest, Not Conflict**
Let us be clear: this is not a conflict or a tragic misunderstanding. It’s a war of conquest – deliberate, sustained, and criminal under international law. Russia has been killing Ukrainians for the crime of being Ukrainian since 2014. Ukraine fights because it’s fighting for survival.
**The Gerasimov Doctrine: Information Warfare**
Russia employs various tools to achieve its objectives, including disinformation, corruption, infiltration, sabotage, or covert operations – all components of the Gerasimov Doctrine. The West keeps falling for these tactics and even amplifies them, dignifying Moscow’s deceit with click-bait headlines and poisoning public discourse.
**A Call to Action**
It’s time to stop giving airtime to lies and parroting enemy framing. We must recognize that ending this war is not in Ukraine’s hands; it requires Russia to stop waging its war of aggression. The United States, by reportedly diverting anti-drone missiles away from Ukraine, sends mixed signals, emboldening Putin.
**The Stakes: Global Tyranny**
If Russia wins this conflict, global tyranny will follow. Andrei V. Kozyrev, former Russian Foreign Minister, warns that a victorious militarist tyranny driven by hateful anti-Western ideology will solidify. We can do better than self-deterrence and self-sabotage.
**Conclusion**
Western media must recognize the reality of Russia’s aggressive war on Ukraine. By failing to acknowledge this fact, we inadvertently legitimize Moscow’s actions and embolden Putin. It’s time for a change in our approach; we owe it to ourselves, Ukraine, and the world.
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Read more: [Retaliation? No, Russia’s bombs are the continuation of a genocidal war](https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/06/09/retaliation-no-russias-bombs-are-the-continuation-of-a-genocidal-war/)
