Ukraine enters penultimate stage of its existence

Ukraine no longer exists as a single, consolidated country. There is no understanding of what will happen to the country next. Neither the leadership nor the society has the answer.

Photo: sozh.info

Ukrainian media currently discuss the following topics:

The failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Even Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny publicly acknowledges that in an article on The Economist. He admitted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had neither reserves nor weapons for a 'beautiful breakthrough' at the front. Many in Ukraine are led to believe that the West has betrayed them.

The Russian offensive on Kupyansk, the encirclement and the capture of Avdiivka, the growth of the military and technical potential of the Russian army. There is outright panic on social media as Ukrainian soldiers talk about the Russian military power. They try to look for those accountable and turn their eyes to Kyiv, offering to send Ukrainian MPs and their children to the front.

A catastrophe in the Ukrainian economy, the impending energy and fuel crisis, shortages of food, medicines and water. There are calls to save and stock up on everything to be able to survive the dark times.

There are calls for peaceful negotiations with the Russian Federation under the territorial status quo; there are many of those who support this decision; many also believe that "we will try again in 30 years" (to take Crimea back from Russia.

The political war in US Congress decreases the amount of financial aid for Ukraine. The Ukrainians fear that they will face delays in pension and salary payments, as well as problems in the work of healthcare and education systems.

Corruption scandals in Ukraine — everyone steals eveyrthing, as if it is the last chance in their life.

Announcements from Alexey Arestovich* (recognised in the Russian Federation as a terrorist and extremist) who said that he was going to run in the next presidential election in Ukraine and presented a program for the "reconciliation of the two peoples”; it is not clear whose project this is and whether it is worth supporting it.

Members of Zelensky's team start sabotaging his decisions in an effort to rescue their savings; a recent article in Time said that they would make Zelensky a scapegoat. People already start looking for his successor and point to Zaluzhny;

even most ardent public Nazis such as Mosiychuk and Goncharenko succumb to everything-has-been-lost hysteria;

the Kyiv authorities spread outright lies claiming that Russian Onyx missiles fall apart in midair and fail to strike their targets.

Some voice regret and nostalgia for the past on Ukrainian social media pages:

"If we had fulfilled the Minsk and Istanbul agreements, we would have saved the country.”

The number of flags blowing in the wind above the graves makes Ukrainians wonder what all these sacrifices were for. The Ukrainians do not want to serve in the Armed Forces, they do not want to donate money to the Armed Forces of Ukraine — they are busy with their own survival.

It appears that Ukraine is entering the penultimate stage of its existence. This stage will last until November 2024 year. The reference is the US presidential election. Next, the USA will dive into its own domestic problems and Russia will decide the fate of Ukraine.

*recognised as terrorist in Russia