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Situation regarding conflict with DeepState and reports about encirclement in Makarivka

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Censor.NET Editor-in-Chief Yurii Butusov analyzes the conflict that arose between the OSGT (Operational and Strategic Group of Troops) Khortytsia and DeepState over the report of an encirclement in Makarivka, Donetsk region.

Let's analyze it step by step:

1. The DeepState channel is an online mapping project that is important for objectively informing the military and the public about the real situation at the front. A few days ago, DeepState displayed on the map that the village of Makarivka in the Donetsk region was almost entirely encircled. It should be noted that the channel did not make any statements or draw conclusions about whether our troops in Makarivka were surrounded or not.

2. Today, OSGT Khortytsia issued a statement: 'The information about the encirclement of Ukrainian Defense Forces units in Makarivka, on the Vremivka direction, which is being disseminated by the media, does not correspond to reality. Unverified data and, consequently, erroneous conclusions regarding the existence of such a situation are the result of analysis by individual observers and independent experts using sources whose data do not reflect the dynamics of hostilities. The OSGT's statement was a response to social media posts claiming the encirclement of AFU units in the village of Makarivka, Donetsk region, which were made by other bloggers based on their analysis of the DeepState map.

3. The DeepState team made a statement: "Unfortunately, not all the commanders-in-chief like the truth, and this is regrettable." "Servant of the People Mariana Bezuhla made a statement that "instead of stabilizing the defense, Syrskyi launched an attack on the DeepState team" and that the channel's team was going to be mobilized in order not to hear the truth.

4. Regarding the fact of encirclement. The representation on the DeepState map showing the near-complete encirclement of the village of Makarivka in the Donetsk region corresponds to reality. However, Ukrainian troops in Makarivka have not been encircled. A few soldiers from one of our battalions remain in the area near the village; I am in contact with these servicemen and have received detailed information about the situation. This information has also been confirmed by one of the commanders of the Donetsk OTG (Operational Tactical Group). Thus, DeepState did not provide false information, and the responsibility for reports about the encirclement of troops rests entirely with other sources. The Khortytsia OSGT is correct in asserting that our troops in Makarivka are not encircled.

5. OSGT Khortytsia, commanded by General Hnatov, did not make any direct claims against DeepState, but it criticized the data on which the social media reports were based, i.e., it stated that the data on the channel’s map was inaccurate. Obviously, if the OSGT had issued a correct statement confirming that our troops were not encircled in Makarivka and limited itself to that, there would have been no problem at all. Instead, the OSGT has obviously cast suspicion on the completely reliable DeepState map.

6.  Officially, the military command and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces have not commented on the development of this situation. I contacted a source in the Ukrainian Armed Forces leadership, who gave me a clear assurance off the record that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has nothing to do with the Khortytsia OSGT’s statement, and no measures to exert pressure on DeepState have been or are being considered. The Khortytsia OSGT should invite the DeepState team to a meeting to coordinate the coverage of the situation at the front, according to the source. I hope this will happen. Otherwise, no explanations would be given, and no grounds would be created for maximum publicity of this story.

Conclusions:

1. Our troops are not surrounded.

2. The public conflict was triggered by an incorrect phrase in the statement of the Khortytsia OSGT in response to posts by some bloggers.

3.  The leadership of the AFU denies the conflict with DeepState and any attempts to limit the channel's operations.

4.  A meeting between the Khortytsia OSGT and the DeepState team would be a sign of a proper and civilized resolution to this situation, beneficial for both sides since DeepState often predicts the situation more accurately than the OSGT, and such dialogue would benefit our shared cause of defending the Motherland.

Yurii Butusov, Censor.NET