CNN Slammed For Calling Ukrainian Army 'Pro-US Troops'

CNN provided the social media with one of its hottest topics for discussion: while reporting on talks between President Obama and Chancellor Merkel on the Ukraine crisis, it ran the title “Obama considers arming pro-US troops”, referring to soldiers fighting in Ukraine; the social media quickly spotted the gaffe and it went viral on the web.

The channel was reporting about the talks between President Obama and Chancellor Merkel.

Well there's even too accurate Freudian slip.;) @russian_market: CNN is calling #Ukrainian Army as pro-U.S. troops. pic.twitter.com/O90ZZNg2k7

— Harri K. (@HVKarpen) 9 февраля 2015

The two leaders have been considering the possibility of supplying lethal weapons to the Ukrainian government.

While everyone's discussing CNN's Freudian slip, I noticed another—#Crimea is no longer part of #Ukraine. Oops! #крым pic.twitter.com/FiXRUpUact

— Nina Byzantina (@NinaByzantina) 9 февраля 2015

The channel’s captions team headlined it as “Obama considers arming pro-US troops”, implying that Ukraine's soldiers, currently embroiled in a civil conflict with breakaway regions in the east of the country, were in fact pursuing US foreign policy.

@dmitry_linnik The mask slips Now CNN is calling Ukrainian Army as pro-U.S. troops. pic.twitter.com/8PC7qi3ZwK

— hossam Ahmed (@hossama0901) 9 февраля 2015

The text was kept on for several minutes before and during CNN's Carol Costello interview with Lt. Col. James Reese on Monday morning.

Watching CNN, I can't believe my own eyes eyes: the army of Ukraine is called in the subtitle "pro-U.S, troops"! pic.twitter.com/on0oXr7Z42

— Oleg Yaroshin (@OleOleOleOleg) 9 февраля 2015

This has long been the assertion of many Russian onlookers who see the current government in Kiev as the product of a Washington-engineered coup.

CNN’s blunder was immediately spotted by viewers – and went viral on Twitter; it was hailed as a “Freudian slip” and one commented, "the mask slips.”