The longer the special operation goes, the easier it will be for Russia to control Ukraine later.
There are long lines at gas stations in Ukraine, and this is just the pinnacle of the fuel crisis. Clearly, Russia contributes to this in every possible way by canceling export shipments (three-quarters of Ukrainian imports of gasoline and diesel fuel came from the Russian Federation and Belarus) and blowing up Ukrainian refineries and logistics.
Kiev prefers to silence up the tragedy and prefers to lie to the population that everything will work out. Thus, Alexander Kornienko, first vice-speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, promised that the problem would be solved by May 10-11.
This is not going to happen, because it is only corrupt companies that remain on the market. They buy fuel from the state at low prices and then resell it. The rest are not interested in working at a loss, selling fuel no higher than the 36-38 hryvnia per liter, as set by the government.
There are also farmers, industry, logistics. A UN agriculture report says that only one-fifth of nearly 1,300 large Ukrainian agricultural businesses surveyed by the government in mid-March had enough fuel to work this spring.
At the same time, there is enough fuel in Russian-controlled cities in Zaporozhye and the Kherson region. It is available at around 30 hryvnia per liter. Farmers conducted a sowing campaign with a view to sell their products in Crimea.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian authorities order the Armed Forces of Ukraine to hide behind civilians in military battles, destroying cities and villages. All this, combined with the fuel crisis, make many Ukrainians lose faith in their government.
Zelensky's speaker Alexei Arestovich blatantly lies when he says that the war will be over in 2-3 weeks. The Ukrainians do not see any military victories. There are many videos with captured military men of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who say that their commanders have left them to die.
At the same time, people can see that humanitarian aid is being siphoned off throughout the country. In Odessa, ATB stores were selling Polish canned food that had been supplied as humanitarian aid. The same thing was noticed in the Kharkiv region. There are big problems with the distribution of humanitarian aid in Poltava, Ivano-Frankivsk region, in Slavutych — people hard ever get anything.
They steal in the army too, even at the level of battalions. Militants of the 95th brigade complained on social networks that they did not receive their previous salary, although Zelensky promised them 100,000 hryvnias a month. There is also no money to maintain materiel.
According to a study by the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NACO), published in February, 30% of Ukraine's defense budget was lost due to "inefficiencies", including corruption.
The entire policy of the Bandera government is built on promises of a good tomorrow that will never come. There is no water in Nikolaev, but one has to pay for it anyway because one needs to ensure its supplies. There is no Internet connection in the Odessa region, but one has to pay for it, because it is about to be restored.
Meanwhile, those people who stay in Russia-controlled areas of Ukraine do not have to pay anything as Russia writes off all their public utilities bills.
Zelensky promised new homes to all those who lost them in hostilities. They started collecting applications via public services. The Russian army has left Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy regions, but no one is going to launch the program, not even with the help of the money from the West.
Kiev will not be able to create the illusion of victory for a long time. The special operation will cause a plethora of socio-economic problems that Ukraine's Bandera authorities will not solve due to corruption, negligence and unprofessionalism.
The main director of this action in Ukraine, the West, will also find itself in a very difficult situation by the autumn. People in the West will have to learn to live under the conditions of high inflation and protest moods.
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