Even as diplomacy turns toward settlement, Russian forces grind forward
On the 938th day of a war that has reshaped the European order, Ukraine's president prepares to bring a peace strategy before the world at the United Nations, even as Russian forces continue their slow, grinding advance through eastern Ukraine. The simultaneity of diplomacy and destruction captures something ancient about the nature of conflict — that the machinery of war and the machinery of peace rarely pause for one another. While Zelenskiy's plan carries the weight of American review and international attention, Russian troops raised their flag over Ukrainsk, a town that once held ten thousand lives, and Moscow's disinformation networks worked quietly to shape the information landscape of democracies far from the front.
- Ukraine's president is preparing to present a formal war-ending strategy at the UN General Assembly, with US Secretary of State Blinken already briefed and Washington signaling cautious confidence in the plan.
- On the very day diplomats were reviewing peace proposals in Kyiv, Russian forces captured Ukrainsk in Donetsk, planting their flag on a mine shaft in a town emptied of its ten thousand residents.
- Russia is fighting on a second front — a disinformation one — deploying a fabricated hit-and-run video targeting Kamala Harris, complete with a hired actor, a fake victim website, and a counterfeit San Francisco news station.
- Meta escalated its response by banning Russian state media outlets RT and Rossiya Segodnya from Facebook and Instagram entirely, a significant step beyond its previous restrictions.
- The human cost continues to accumulate quietly: two killed and five wounded in a Russian shelling of Zaporizhzhia's Komishuvakha, as rescue teams sifted through rubble while diplomats filled their calendars.
On the 938th day of the war, Volodymyr Zelenskiy is preparing to walk into the United Nations with a plan to end it. He will present the strategy on the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York, and it has already passed through American hands — Secretary of State Antony Blinken was briefed during a recent visit to Kyiv, and US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield confirmed Washington's review. "We think it lays out a strategy and a plan that can work," she said.
But the war does not pause for diplomacy. On the same day Blinken was being briefed, Russian troops captured Ukrainsk in the Donetsk region, raising their flag on a mine ventilation shaft at the town's edge. Before the invasion, Ukrainsk was home to more than ten thousand people. Russian state media framed the advance as part of a broader westward push toward the whole of the Donbas. Ukraine's military command did not acknowledge the town's fall in their evening report, instead cataloging it among several localities under assault and recording 34 separate Russian attacks near Pokrovsk.
Russia is simultaneously waging war on information itself. Microsoft researchers identified a Kremlin-aligned operation — attributed to a troll farm called Storm-1516 — that fabricated a video falsely claiming Kamala Harris left a 13-year-old girl paralyzed in a San Francisco hit-and-run in 2011. The operation hired an actor to pose as the alleged victim, built a fake website, and invented a nonexistent local news station to lend the story credibility. The false narrative spread widely across social media.
Meta responded by banning Russian state outlets RT and Rossiya Segodnya from Facebook and Instagram entirely — a meaningful escalation beyond its earlier measures of limiting ads and reducing post visibility. The Kremlin condemned the decision.
Through it all, the human toll accumulates. Russian shelling struck Komishuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region late Tuesday, killing two people and injuring five. Rescue teams searched rubble for survivors. The strike was one thread in a broader pattern of bombardment continuing even as the diplomatic calendar fills with meetings about how, someday, this might end.
On day 938 of the war, Ukraine's president is preparing to walk into the United Nations next week with a plan to end it. Volodymyr Zelenskiy will present the strategy on the sidelines of the General Assembly meeting in New York, according to US state department officials. The plan has already been reviewed by American leadership. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was briefed on its elements during a recent trip to Kyiv, and US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield confirmed Washington has examined it. "We think it lays out a strategy and a plan that can work," she said on Tuesday.
But even as diplomatic machinery turns toward a potential settlement, Russian forces are grinding forward across eastern Ukraine. On the same day Blinken was being briefed, Russian troops captured the town of Ukrainsk in the Donetsk region, raising their flag on a mine ventilation shaft at the town's edge. Before the war, Ukrainsk was home to more than 10,000 people. Russian state media and pro-Russian military bloggers reported the advance as part of a broader westward push to seize the entire Donbas. Ukraine's military command made no mention of Ukrainsk falling in their evening report, instead cataloging it as one of several localities under assault. They recorded 34 separate Russian attacks near the nearby town of Pokrovsk. Neither side's claims could be independently verified due to restrictions on reporting from the war zone.
The territorial gains are one dimension of Russia's campaign. Simultaneously, Moscow is waging a coordinated assault on information itself. Microsoft researchers uncovered a covert Russian disinformation operation spreading a false claim that Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, left a 13-year-old girl paralyzed after a hit-and-run accident in San Francisco in 2011. The operation, attributed to a Kremlin-aligned troll farm called Storm-1516, created a fabricated video, hired an actor to pose as the alleged victim, and built a fake website impersonating a nonexistent San Francisco news station called KBSF-TV. The false narrative circulated widely on social media.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, responded by banning Russian state media outlets including RT and Rossiya Segodnya from its platforms on Monday. The company cited the use of deceptive tactics to conduct covert influence operations. The move represents a significant escalation from previous measures—Meta had previously limited these outlets' ability to run advertisements and reduced the visibility of their posts, but had stopped short of outright removal. The Kremlin strongly criticized the ban.
Meanwhile, the human toll of the fighting continues. Russian shelling struck the Zaporizhzhia region in southeastern Ukraine late Tuesday, killing two people and injuring five others. The attack hit the town of Komishuvakha, southeast of the regional capital. Rescue teams were searching through rubble for survivors. The bombardment was part of the broader pattern of Russian strikes across Ukrainian territory, even as the diplomatic calendar fills with meetings about how the war might end.
Citações Notáveis
We think it lays out a strategy and a plan that can work— US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, on Ukraine's peace plan
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why present a plan at the UN now, when Russia is still advancing?
Because the moment matters. Zelenskiy needs to show the world—and his own people—that there's a path forward, even while the fighting continues. The US backing gives it weight.
Do we know what's actually in the plan?
Not yet. The details haven't been made public. But the fact that Blinken reviewed it in person, and that the US ambassador says it "can work," suggests it's something more than rhetoric.
Russia keeps taking territory. Doesn't that undermine any negotiation?
It's the opposite problem. Russia has incentive to keep advancing because every kilometer gives them more leverage at the table. That's why the timing of Zelenskiy's announcement matters—he's trying to shift the conversation before the map changes further.
What about the disinformation campaign targeting Harris?
It shows Russia isn't just fighting on the battlefield. They're trying to influence the US election, knowing that who sits in the White House next year will shape how this war ends.
Does Meta's ban actually stop them?
It makes it harder. But it's also symbolic—the world's largest social media company saying Russian state media can't operate on its platforms. That's a line being drawn.