The war in Ukraine

The Baltic states on the war in Ukraine

Baltic outlets show Kyiv under siege; their only rebuke of Ukraine is Seoul's demand for an apology

Nobody in Õhtuleht, Delfi or Lrytas is angry at Ukraine. Their anger is aimed at Russia: Delfi calls Putin a "dictator" in its own voice, and Lrytas calls a car-bombed Russian ex-guard a "tormentor" without a word of sympathy. The one jab at Kyiv comes from South Korea's demand for a public apology, which Õhtuleht reported in its own copy. A Lrytas rewrite of the NYT adds that Ukraine is "more vulnerable today than ever before." Õhtuleht, 2 OctDelfi (Latvia), 1 OctLrytas, 3 OctLrytas, 3 OctÕhtuleht, 4 Oct

1. Estonia Õhtuleht 3/10 at its hottest, 6 pieces
2. Latvia Delfi (Latvia) 4/10 at its hottest, 6 pieces
3. Lithuania Lrytas 3/10 at its hottest, 6 pieces

1. 6

   Õhtuleht's own war roundup says South Korean President Lee Jae-myung wants a public apology from Ukraine. Ukraine made public its handover of two captured North Korean soldiers after, Seoul says, Kyiv had asked for the handover to be kept secret. Seoul says the disclosure puts the soldiers' relatives at risk.

   This is the only criticism of Ukraine itself in the whole set. It is a diplomatic row with a friendly democracy, and it has already reached Estonia's biggest tabloid. The tone is neutral and brief, but the story is out. Õhtuleht, 2 Oct

2. 5

   Lrytas, relaying the NYT via UNIAN, says a critical shortage of air defence and Russia's growing arsenal make Ukraine 'more vulnerable today than ever before.' It says Kyiv's relative safety is 'over', and that five of the city's six road bridges are restricted or closed.

   The coverage is sympathetic, but it tells a Lithuanian mass audience that Ukraine is weakening, not holding. That could feed doubts about whether Ukraine can last. Lrytas, 3 OctLrytas, 3 Oct

3. 5

   Lrytas is openly pleased about a car bombing in Russia. The headline says a 'tormentor of Ukrainian soldiers' was 'blown up', and the story sits in a box headed 'Attacks on Russian war criminals'. It lists the generals killed by earlier bombings.

   This is the most partisan tone in the set. Lrytas treats killings inside Russia as justice, not as news to be handled carefully. Lrytas, 3 Oct

Read the full Baltic states lens: 18 translated articles, where outlets split.

The former Soviet Union on the war in Ukraine

Komsomolskaya Pravda calls Zelensky a lying 'ghoul' and blames him for heavier strikes on Kyiv

The angriest piece in the set is a Komsomolskaya Pravda column. It mocks Zelensky as 'the Expired One' and a tearful hypocrite, says Russia's announced escalation against Kyiv is his fault, and warns Ukrainians he will drag them down with him. Belarus Segodnya adds gloating front-line videos. Moldova's Unimedia openly sympathises with Ukraine, and most Central Asian and Caucasus outlets simply rewrite wire copy. Komsomolskaya Pravda, 4 Oct

1. Russia Komsomolskaya Pravda 9/10 at its hottest, 6 pieces
2. Belarus SB. Belarus Segodnya 5/10 at its hottest, 6 pieces
3. Moldova Unimedia 2/10 at its hottest, 6 pieces
4. Azerbaijan Report.az 2/10 at its hottest, 6 pieces
5. Kazakhstan Tengrinews 1/10 at its hottest, 3 pieces
6. Uzbekistan Daryo 2/10 at its hottest, 4 pieces
7. Kyrgyzstan Kaktus.media 2/10 at its hottest, 3 pieces
8. Tajikistan Avesta.tj 1/10 at its hottest, 6 pieces
9. Turkmenistan Turkmenportal 0/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
10. Georgia Netgazeti 1/10 at its hottest, 1 piece
11. Armenia News.am 2/10 at its hottest, 6 pieces

Blind spots: Imedi (Georgia), 1TV (Georgian Public Broadcaster) (Georgia).

1. 9

   In a column, Komsomolskaya Pravda calls Zelensky 'the Kyiv ghoul', 'the Expired One' and a 'lying comedian'. It says he sends drones at Russian housing with one hand and wipes away a tear with the other. It presents the Russian MoD's escalation of strikes on Kyiv as a deserved response and asks Ukrainians directly: 'he will definitely drag Ukraine down to the bottom with him. Do you need that?'

   This is the hottest item in the set. It pairs personal contempt for Zelensky with a menacing message aimed at ordinary Ukrainians. It recasts his promise not to hit civilians as hypocrisy, which sets up a justification for more strikes on the capital. Komsomolskaya Pravda, 4 Oct

2. 5

   Belarus Segodnya, the Lukashenko administration's paper, runs gloating video teasers. One shows destroyed Ukrainian armour, some of it Western-supplied, under the line 'Different countries – one parking lot'. Another cheers the downing of a Ukrainian 'little plane' with 'Beauties!'

   The state paper of a neighbouring country is openly cheering Ukrainian losses and mocking Western aid as scrap. That is cheerleading for one side, not neutral reporting. SB. Belarus Segodnya, 2 OctSB. Belarus Segodnya, 2 OctSB. Belarus Segodnya, 2 Oct

3. 5

   Belarus Segodnya relays Lukashenko joking that he and Putin are 'co-aggressors'. He pledges that Minsk will always follow Moscow's decisions on the war and will 'never allow anyone to shoot Russians in the back'.

   Minsk's own paper prints the Belarusian leader openly accepting the role of co-aggressor against Ukraine. He calls it a joke, but he also pledges unconditional alignment with Moscow. SB. Belarus Segodnya, 2 Oct

Read the full Rest of the former USSR lens: 48 translated articles, where outlets split, and what the coverage says about the countries themselves.