Merely a month ago, before the world’s attention and global media rapidly shifted from Ukraine to becoming soley fixated on the Israel-Gaza war, there were some things you weren’t supposed to say—and if you did you ran the risk of being denounced and branded as ‘pro-Kremlin’ or a ‘Putin-sympathizer’.

Top of the list of banned talking points was the observation that Ukraine is failing or even losing in the counteroffensive and in its overall war aim of pushing back the Russian invaders. But fast-forward, and this week Ukraine’s top military commander, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, has admitted there will be no breakthrough and the battlefield situation is in a stalemate.