Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war. The perspectives gathered here are varied, candid, and often surprising, together forming a more complete picture of Ukraine as it really is.Frontline and StrategyЦензор.НЕТ — Cenzor.NETNews and opinion site with a strong pro-defense, typically conservative voice“Contrary to the Real Situation”By Dmytro Kashchenko/May 20, 2026Dmytro Kashchenko argues that frontline conditions are dire, and that General Syrskyi is ordering counterattacks without meeting basic prerequisites for offensive success — stopping enemy momentum, disrupting command systems, securing reserves, and establishing air superiority. Rotation and readiness reforms exist mainly on paper, he says. The author suggests Syrskyi knows better but fears presidential criticism, takes credit for the Defense Minister’s recruitment initiatives, and is creating insufficient assault forces rather than leveraging the capable existing airborne troops. The overall picture Kashchenko paints of the front this week is one of institutional dysfunction driven by political fear rather than sound military judgment.“The situation at the front is extremely difficult. Some corps commanders are quietly working through press officers to find journalists who can report on conditions in specific areas — journalists who, as they say, can sit on the couch and eat fish, meaning those who will assess the situation more critically than the Commander-in-Chief. Yet this has not stopped him from ordering offensive actions that contradict the Combat Charters of the Land Forces and ignore conditions on the ground, without establishing the
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