From: Ukraine News —- The New York Times is facing growing criticism after publishing a report from Russia’s Kursk region, near the Ukrainian border — a territory used by Moscow as a launchpad for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Titled “A Landscape of Death: What Remains Where Ukraine Invaded Russia,” the article opens with the line:
“Last year, Ukraine turned a corner of Russia into a battlefield. Now it is a place of devastation and death.”
This framing — suggesting moral equivalence between Russia’s brutal war of aggression and Ukraine’s limited incursions to disrupt military operations — has sparked outrage, particularly in Kyiv.
Journalist Nanna Heitmann spent six days embedded with Russian special forces (Akhmat) — a unit complicit in war crimes across Ukraine — while documenting destruction in a heavily militarized region from which attacks on Ukraine have been launched since 2022.
Local quotes featured in the article reflect typical Kremlin narratives. One resident blames NATO, while another suggests that “Ukrainians struck their own — their neighbors,” perpetuating the myth of a “fratricidal conflict” rather than acknowledging the reality of Russia’s invasion.
In response, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a sharp rebuke. MFA spokesperson Oleh Tykhy condemned the NYT for what he called an astonishing lapse in judgment:
“Whoever at the NYT thought it wise to publish a story alongside Russian war criminals made the dumbest possible decision. This is not balance or ‘the other side of the story’ — it’s a platform for Russian propaganda to mislead the public. It’s sad to see Duranty-style manipulation returning to the NYT.”
Voice of Ukraine 