Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued sharp criticism of the American newspaper The New York Times following its publication of a report from Russia’s border district of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast. MFA spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi called the editorial decision to publish the material “foolish” and said it plays into Russian propaganda.
Journalist Nanna Heitmann’s report was published on July 12. It describes her six-day trip in March 2025 to the Sudzha district — territory that Russian authorities label as “occupied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces” since August 2024. Heitmann details the destruction she witnessed and bodies in civilian clothing.
The text presents both sides: Russian authorities’ accusations against Ukraine’s forces of killing civilians, and Ukraine’s position that its troops followed international humanitarian law and provided help to locals.
“People I spoke with who were in Sudzha during the occupation generally reported respectful treatment by Ukrainian forces in the city, including medical and other assistance,” Heitmann writes.
Nevertheless, Ukraine’s MFA called the way the story was framed misleading. “This is not balance or a ‘different side of the story.’ It simply allows Russian propaganda to mislead the audience,” Tykhyi said on social media platform X.
He also compared the NYT article to “Duranty-level manipulation,” alluding to historic examples of Western media downplaying Soviet crimes.