General Discussion

on the US side, but glosses over the value of those areas, the fact they include people, the resources they contain and facilities they do and once did, their strategic value (some of what Trump blithely expects the Ukrainians to cede includes key defensive infrastructure that's taken years to construct), and just what it means to "take", "control" and "occupy" land.

Russia's hold on most of those areas is shaky, and the scant gains in the last three years condensed and glossed into convenient media-friendly maps include areas where the Russian side's hold is tenuous at best. And as for the physical state of these areas, well ...

Gains trumpeted in recent times have included villages and towns where Russian troops have been sent on suicide missions to dash up to a prominent building and plant a flag on top for the cameras. They and the flags have tended not to last long. Right now, Putin's claiming to have finally "taken control" of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk, which is news to the Ukrainians.

The Russian troops on the fronts also have a habit of claiming gains where there are none. There have been internal ructions when embattled "leaders" on the ground have lied to their superiors about taking some settlements, delivering follow-up waves of troops into death traps.