The Russia-Ukraine War has begun

[Katheryne Helendale]

That is a rude question.

Certainly no ruder than you've been here.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Meanwhile, in Ukraine

Link to Guardian article

 

[detrius]

I really think you had a lot of potential to contribute to the discussions without fighting with people. You seem to have very strong reactions to any perceived slight. At this point you're so into fighting with people here it's hard to even trace back what really started it.

If they actually cared about Ukraine, then why are almost all of their posts in this thread about themselves and how they feel about this forum and its members?

They're just using this space as a public platform for their self-gratification.

I feel strongly reminded of Aeon and at this point, I'm thinking the initial, more agreeable persona was just an act to get this troll account established before de-evolving into the orc-ish hatemonger we see now.

The outlandish attacks on Innula, accusing her of being a Russian sympathizer also reminded me of a rule I have for far-right nutjobs: every accusation is a confession.

Their entire performance just reeks of an attempt to derail the conversation. They're trying to shut this thread down by making it unpleasant to watch or participate in it. Ignoring them seems to be the right course of action.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

That is a rude question. Hejdå nu.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Meanwhile, in Ukraine

Link to Guardian article

I pointed out on another thread how this seems to suggest Trump was dumber than we thought. I think most of us thought he was willfully helping Putin but he really thought he had the magic touch to reason with Putin.

 

[Soen Eber]

If they actually cared about Ukraine, then why are almost all of their posts in this thread about themselves and how they feel about this forum and its members?

They're just using this space as a public platform for their self-gratification.

I feel strongly reminded of Aeon and at this point, I'm thinking the initial, more agreeable persona was just an act to get this troll account established before de-evolving into the orc-ish hatemonger we see now.

The outlandish attacks on Innula, accusing her of being a Russian sympathizer also reminded me of a rule I have for far-right nutjobs: every accusation is a confession.

Their entire performance just reeks of an attempt to derail the conversation. They're trying to shut this thread down by making it unpleasant to watch or participate in it. Ignoring them seems to be the right course of action.

Is it possible she's doing this to shut down ALL discussion of Ukraine on this board? And is this a pattern on other discussion forums, not just by her, but by others?

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Is it possible she's doing this to shut down ALL discussion of Ukraine on this board? And is this a pattern on other discussion forums, not just by her, but by others?

Eh, maybe not assume malice when personality disorder is a reasonable guess. Borderline, maybe. Side of histrionics.

 

[WeFlossDaily]

Is it possible she's doing this to shut down ALL discussion of Ukraine on this board? And is this a pattern on other discussion forums, not just by her, but by others?

Why would I want to shut down people talking about Ukraine? If anything, I want people to see what is happening in Ukraine without looking through the political lens of their own country, as a feel that severely obfuscates the war in a way that hurts the Ukrainian's fight to protect their sovereignty.

Although I will admit, I know longer consider NATO to be worth joining for Ukraine, as I can't see how NATO membership would protect Ukraine from russian aggression in the future, as russia is currently committed to hybrid warfare operations across Europe and has committed numerous airspace violations of NATO states without serious reaction or punishment. The flow of weapons into the hands of the AFU is too slow, though. It's too much of a slow drip-feed. Only within the last day or two did the British, American, French, and German governments authorize the Ukrainians unlimited strike distance with their weapons. The Finnish government however previously stated months ago that they didn't care how the Ukrainians used anything given to them. German cruise misses capable of striking moscow have still yet to be delivered to Ukraine and the Americans have previously flat out denied Zelenskyy's request for Tomahawk missiles..

I'm angry with Ukraine's "allies" for how they have so badly half-assed things. Hell, some of the European countries are sending weapons and aid to Ukraine while continuing to purchase russian crude oil through intermediaries. And the Ukrainians regularly discover advance western-made electronic componets being used inside the russian missles that target Ukrainian infrastructure. Ukrainians also appear to in vast numbers to be not impressed with the results of the santunctions placed on russia so far . . . and work to deny russia the means of waging war by destroying their means of producing missles, weapons, suppies, and fuel, which is a far more effective stragety than anything NATO is currently doing.

Interstingly enough, if you visit a Ukrainian sim in SL, you probably won't see much love for the west. And you'll be expected to understand Surzhyk. English doesn't carry over into all parts of SL as the linguca-franca.

I support Ukraine rearming itself with nuclear weapons, which it is fully capable of doing, as it has the second most nuclear plants in mainland Europe, which only France having more, and has plutonium mines. The Ukrainians already converted their Neptune anti-ship missles into air-to-surface missles a while back, so they have the means to fire a nuclear weapon. They just need to enrich the material and built the device. And Zelenskyy has already publicly treatened to do so. And it wouldn't be the first time they built a nuclear weapon. During the soviet era, it wasn't russia that build all the weapons, it was Ukraine.

I support Ukraine building a nuclear weapon, threatening to it against russia, and then firing on major population centers like moscow and st petersburg if they have to. I support this because of what the russians did to the Ukrainians living in cities like Bucha and Izyum. People were murdered in the streets with their hands tied behind their backs. Tortoure chambers were discovered shortly after the russians were pushed out of Kherson and before the russians flooded the city by destorying the Nova Kakhovka damn. Hundreds were murdered when the russian bombed a threater in Mauripol. Outside of the it, painted on the ground was a message indicating that there were childern inside, as a plee not to be bombed. The russians didn't care. They roomed the streets of Mauripol in tanks, firing at random into building, murdering, and destorying. People were reduced to drinking puddle water.

The russian regularly double tap civillian tarets also. First the fire a missle into an apartment building. Then the wait 30 minutes from help to arrive. The they hit it with another one to inflict injuries on the rescue workers. The aid workers working to evacuate people during the flooding when the damn was destory and Kherson and something like 60 other settlements were flooded, well the russians fired on those aid workers also. They don't care.

The russians stole Ukrainian childern. Capturated Ukrainian soliders face horrible abuse at the hands of the russia. Often they are executed, tortured, multilated, and subjected to mock executions, which doesn't sound so bad until you see it on camera. POWs loose hands and fingers and toes and feet while they suffer and starve in captivity. Needles are reused.

The russians have committed uncountable warcrimes against the Ukrainians.

People like to point to Azov. They like to scream that they are racist nazis. Azov did not run when Maripol fell, they retreated into the steel factory and held up for as long as they could. And when another unit, I forget which, got trapped in a chemical factory, Azov figthers wasted no time fighting to free their freinds from orc encirclement.

Look at the occupation of Sudzah. Then look at the occupation of cities like Kherson and Maripoul. The difference is massive.

Why would I want to stop or prevent this conversation? Я - за Українa.

This war make me more angry than shit. And it's a tradgey that so much of this thread is spent whinning about English-speaking politics when they are completely irrevant so much of the time. I don't like it and I have said just as much. However, I wasn't mean or nasty about it here . . . at least in this post. So pardon me, jeez.

Not even picking on or directing any of this at you. I just wanted to respond to the idea that I am covertly against what I say I support. To be clear the accusation made by the asshole to which you were responding is utter and complete nonsense (or carfully crafted bait). But either way fuck that motherfucker. A questioning of motivations d-bag because he has nothing of value to say of the subject that matters here. Quite a few of those types here, just to pick and piss at them a tad bit. Hell, I'll settle for pissing off every single person here if it keeps you guys acutally talking about the war in Ukraine. Often this thread seems to stagnant, despite major things happening. Like right now, there are massive stirkes happening in Kyiv and moscow. There is propoganda about putin's helicopter fighting drones. The russians are attemping a new offensive in Summy oblast. Stuff like that. Stuff that never get mentioned, because the subject of every thread around these parts revolves around how many fingers Trump and put in his asshole or something like that, which honestly gets quite old sometimes.

But Flossy, somebody will say in a speaky voice: Our democracy is under attack!
No, Ukraine's demorcacy is under attack. You're democracy is just run by stupid people. There's a big difference.
Oh, ya, really. What? somebody might ask.
You live under a peaceful sky.

It just gets a tad irksome here, if y'know what I mean. Maybe you do. Maybe you don't. Maybe somebody else gets it and somebody else has no idea what I'm talking about but is pretty sure that I certainly must be mentally ill or something because I have an extreme opinion about a war that has already claimed over a million lives and shattered millions more. Who knows. I recomend 20 Days in Mariopul for anybody who is not convinced that Ukraine needs far more support. I won't link to it, though, cause even though it's on YouTube, it shows far to much uncensored death. There's one scene in which somebody runs up to the emergency workers, begging them to help their already dead child. The pregant woman who died at the hospital is in there to. Her child was stillborn. She died not long afterward, screaming and begging to die. The narrator even prefaces the film by wishing it didn't have to exist.

I would like nothing more than to see russia crumble and burn. I want a just peace for Ukraine and I want Ukraine to be able to defend itself without having to rely almost useless partners. Giving up their nuclear weapons shortly after the soviet union collapse was a mistake on part of the Ukrainian government at the time and I believe it is time that they reverse this mistake and set things right. I believe nuclear weapons are now the only way in which Ukraine can win the war and protect itself from future russian aggression. The only other option would be to fight until russia collapses. But even then, the remements of the old regmine would only rise from the rubbled and attempt once more to wage a genicidal war against Ukraine, and Ukrainians don't want that for their childern, or their childerns' childern. They want to finish this now and finish this right. I support absolutely whatever course of action they choose.

But Flossy, what about the Ukrainians who may have sabataged the Nordstream pipeline . . . ?
The pipeline carrying oild from russia to Germany? Pin a medal on them.

Слава Україні! Героям слава!

 

[WeFlossDaily]

Eh, maybe not assume malice when personality disorder is a reasonable guess. Borderline, maybe. Side of histrionics.

Never attribute to malice what you can attribute to incompetence.

Not you specifically. I forget name of whatever I'm referencing here.

 

[Noodles]

I get what you are saying, and Russia sucks, fuck Russia.

But there is also the part where Ukraine had plenty of time and opportunity to shape up and join NATO, but did not.

It's like, driving without insurance, then complain after an accident that the insurance you just got won't cover your problems.

NATO, the US, etc, are helping, but they also are not going to directly be aggressive towards Russia. And Ukraine is not part of NATO. So they are not going to get a full response of support.

Which, BTW, Russia would absolutely Love because it fills in all their propaganda bull shit that Russia us fighting The West and losing, and not just fighting against Ukraine. A country that it should have steamrolled over if it were half the superpower it claims to be. Russia losing as much as they are and for as long as they have, makes Russia look pathetic and weak. Russia losing to "The West" makes it look powerful, standing against them all.

Except that isn't happening.

As for advanced chips or whatever in Russian equipment, I have on idea any details on that but it's entirely possible it was stuff from previous times, or stuff from China, which makes everything anyway.

 

[WeFlossDaily]

But there is also the part where Ukraine had plenty of time and opportunity to shape up and join NATO, but did not.

Question 1: What year do you think Ukraine should have applied to join NATO?

Question 2: Does Estonia's NATO membership matter? I'm particularly concerned about it's third largest city: Narva.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Why would I want to shut down people talking about Ukraine? If anything, I want people to see what is happening in Ukraine without looking through the political lens of their own country, as a feel that severely obfuscates the war in a way that hurts the Ukrainian's fight to protect their sovereignty.

This is why reading the room when you jump into a message forum is so important. Pretty much everyone here is pro-Ukraine. I'm not aware of anyone here who isn't. But we're not pro-World War III, which is certainly what would happen if all of Ukraine's allies - including the United States - dogpiled on Russia. I don't think any of us are fans of glowing in the dark.

tl;dr: We're on your side here, but sniping at us and getting nasty is not going to help your cause.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Jong Eun Lee, assistant professor of political science at North Greenvill University, argues in "Responsible Statecraft" that Russia and Ukraine should be evaluated using prospect theory from psychology.

This means in short a peace treaty should spare out the part of territorial control for later, just like in Korea.

Why? Because Ukraine is refusing the Russian claims of territorial sovereignty, while Russia demands that Ukraine recognizes that.

Prospect theory tells that people are more willing to make a decision if they are viewing them more in the domain of gain than loss. For Urkaine the territorial reference point is the restoration of its sovereign border. Having that gone is a loss.

Though Russia on surface achieved significant territorial gains, the Russian government perceives it as a failure that Ukraine aligned itself with the West. It wants international recognition of the annexation of Crimea and the eastern territories. That expansion would serve as a display of public victory.

Lee is arguing that the problem is getting both sides to accept a terrotorial border that falsl below their respective reference points, or loss. A common strategy by the states would be pressing both sides on both parties. Additionally to that Lee is of the opinion that a parallel strategy is needed, namely allowing ambiguity regarding the future political status of the disputed territories.

While drawing a military demarcation line and a surrouding demilitarized buffer zone, the settlement of war should avoid requiring either Russia or Ukraine to formally reounce their territorial claims. Instead the political governance over them should be deferred to future post-war negotiations. This would allow the armed battles to end with both sides provisionally accepting the demarcation line, yet continue to advocate, domestically and internationally, their territorial claims.

Critics may question whether Ukraine or Russia could be persuaded to accept a settlement (assuming other contentious issues are resolved) with an open-ended question on their core territorial claims. The two countries, especially Russia, are unlikely to accept such terms willingly, necessitating increased pressure from the U.S. and the West.

Nevertheless, the prospect of a war settlement is more likely with the inclusion, rather than the exclusion, of territorial ambiguity. This approach accommodates the two countries’ aversion to conclusive acceptance of their present losses. Such a settlement framework may appear manipulative and be accused of postponing the key conflict issue to future uncertainty.

However, after three years of Russia-Ukraine War, the United States and the international community face a difficult strategic choice: to continue the risks and costs of a prolonged war for a more conclusive territorial outcome or convince the two countries to accept the risks of a peace with an inconclusive territorial settlement.

Should a Russia-Ukraine peace leave territorial control for later?

It may appear unsatisfying but the fighting must end, with these tough negotiations taken up in the post-war period.

responsiblestatecraft.org

 

[WeFlossDaily]

Pretty much everyone here is pro-Ukraine. I'm not aware of anyone here who isn't.

Russian government perceives it as a failure that Ukraine aligned itself with the West. It wants international recognition of the annexation of Crimea and the eastern territories. That expansion would serve as a display of public victory.

Crimea is Ukraine. russia is currently demanding that Ukraine cede Crimea and 6 oblasts (they've expanded their demand to include pretty much everything west of the Dnipro river) and they want Ukraine to completely demilitarize, which will never happen. There is nothing to negotiate with russia, not to mention that a russian promise isn't worth the paper it's printed on. In short, the best you will be able to convince me of in regard to this negotiation business is that you (nobody here specifically, jeez) don't fully understand the situation. At worst, it sounds like russian propaganda when people talk about negiatiating, as it suggests that a in-depth negotiation process is something with could yield fair results for all parties involved. I'm sorry, but I don't believe the Ukrainians should be forced to negotiate for their land, as it rightly belongs to them.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

The last time Ukraine demilitarized Russia pinkie promised that if they gave up their nukes they would be just fine and dandy. So yeh I can see they're a little sus about this.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Well I do agree about that, and that it's about the Ukrainians to decide how far they go, the issue is that it becomes harder and harder for Ukraine to recruit new soldiers, while it does not so much for Russia. Having 4x the population of Ukraine is a big advantage here.

At the end of the day the nuclear deterrence is working. This is why Biden always wanted no direct NATO involvement. This is why the armies of Poland, UK, France, Germany are not fighting on Ukrainian soil together to push back Russia.

Nobody in Europe, also for sure not America, is willing to take the risk of having some Russian nukes flying to them. This is where the support for Ukraine comes to an end.

So as fierce and brave the fighting of the Ukrainians is, it is my personal belief that - if not Putin is dying before or something similar disruptive happens - sooner or later this war will end at the negotiation table. It is a big triumph of Ukraine that they sabotaged Russia's original plan and held the ground. However what we got since then is a stalemate, like back then in WWI in Verdun. And aside holding the mainland Ukraine has made no significant military success or helds some advantage it can bring to the table.

So in the end the most likely outcome will be Ukraine having to say goodbye to Crimea and the eastern areas after a war of attrition. The legal status will not matter, in the end those will be controlled by Russia regardless of what UN might tell and decide. And another wrecked country by the Russians, which will take a long time to come back to its old strength and rebuild.

I am also pretty sure about that Selenskiy is aware about that since he's not dumb, but he's under such big internal pressure that he cannot even dare to openly hint a move in any direction other then complete restoration of Ukraine's territory.

 

[WeFlossDaily]

it becomes harder and harder for Ukraine to recruit new soldiers, while it does not so much for Russia. Having 4x the population of Ukraine is a big advantage here.

False. This is russian propaganda. Ukraine turns away international volunteer fighters from the TDF who lack battle experience. Also, while Ukraine does have mandatory mobilizations, these drafts do not conscript any man under the age of 27 into the AFU by force. Men under the age of 27 and above the age of 18, may volunteer to fight by choice, though they are not legally permitted to leave the country if they are physically fit to fight. Women have about the freedoms you would expect. They may leave, remain, or choose to fight. Ukrainian moral remains high. These people know what they are fighting for. They have a strong will to fight and win.

russia, on the other hand, recruits heavily from the Far-East, using the war in Ukrainian to purge many of their own regions of non-slavic fighting aged men. They also recruit heavy from prisons and from countries who can't afford to fee themselves, like north korea. Did you factory get bombed? Join the russian MOD. Get caught committing a crime. Join the MOD (all charges will be dropped).

The most googled toggle from russia during the first week of them invading Ukraine was as follows: How to break your own arm at home.

Because, nobody with a brain in russia, acutally wants to go die for their motherland in Ukraine. However, most of the smart people appear to have left russia in an attempt to avoid being concripted. Then, of course, thousands of young men also fled. In Ukraine, it has been most women and childern who fleed, as it should be. Do take note of that last comparision. It says a lot.

Additionally, the March of the Infinitly Battalion has been suspended all over russia, as the kremlin does not want it's people to see the true cost of the war, though this is becomming harder and harder for them to do as Ukrainian drones wreck havoc on moscow.

In terms of population, 1 in 4 Ukrainians is elderly. And 1 in 3 russian men has a serious problem with vodka. Strangely, it remains the Ukrainians who are most willing to fight. I believe the average age of their soilders is rather high also, as it are the Ukrainians who we born under soviet occupation before the Berlin wall fell who appear to be the most motivated to fight back and drive out the current rash of evil that has invaded their land.

I honestly believe that you don't have the slightest idea of what you are talking about and suggest not talking out your ass in the future, as in reguard to the statement you have made above, you couldn't be more wrong, probably not even if you tried.

At the end of the day the nuclear deterrence is working. This is why Biden always wanted no direct NATO involvement. This is why the armies of Poland, UK, France, Germany are not fighting on Ukrainian soil together to push back Russia.

Ah, the virtues of neautrality. You might as well preach this upon deaf ears.

Nobody in Europe, also for sure not America, is willing to take the risk of having some Russian nukes flying to them. This is where the support for Ukraine comes to an end.

Should it have limits, then it never existed in the first place. There are many who do support Ukraine. But, in my opinion, you should not be permitted to count yourself among them.

So as fierce and brave the fighting of the Ukrainians is, it is my personal belief that - if not Putin is dying before or something similar disruptive happens - sooner or later this war will end at the negotiation table. It is a big triumph of Ukraine that they sabotaged Russia's original plan and held the ground. However what we got since then is a stalemate, like back then in WWI in Verdun. And aside holding the mainland Ukraine has made no significant military success or helds some advantage it can bring to the table.

Propoganda. Ukraine has made significant battlefeild progess, though they often trade empty feilds for better fighting positions to better inflict casuties on russia. The held Bakmut for 9 months. Azov held their position while completely surrounded in Maripoul for 80 days. The russians lost hundreds upon hundreds of vechiles in their attempts to take Vuledar. "Elite" russian paratroopers in the battle for Kyiv were twarted by average and disorganized Ukrainian forces. russia lacks the manpower to lauch an offensive at Kharkiv. Ukraine currently controls the Black Sea, hit the Kerch bridge when it wants to, and constantly restricts russia's ability to transport anything. russia oild refineries burn daily. The russian economy is slowly eating itself from the inside out. russia can't even secure it's own boarders, as Ukraine counter-invades russian soil whenever they wish.

The idea that Ukraine is not making satifactory battlefiled progress and should negitate to end the war is preposterous propoganda and should be laughed out of the room.

Ukraine has made the russians pay in buckets upon buckets of blood for ever meter of land they have taken. And the russians have lost so many lives, that it is reported that they sometimes burn their dead. One women described the smell as being absolutely awful.

So in the end the most likely outcome will be Ukraine having to say goodbye to Crimea and the eastern areas after a war of attrition. The legal status will not matter, in the end those will be controlled by Russia regardless of what UN might tell and decide. And another wrecked country by the Russians, which will take a long time to come back to its old strength and rebuild.

While you appear to be rooting for russia, I believe this war will end with the collapse of russia.

I am also pretty sure about that Selenskiy is aware about that since he's not dumb, but he's under such big internal pressure that he cannot even dare to openly hint a move in any direction other then complete restoration of Ukraine's territory.

It's spelled Zelenskyy. And yes, properly the Latin spelling of his name includes to Ys.

Here's how I know you don't have any idea what your talking about:

Zelenskyy has considered the possibility of trading territory for peace, the the proposition is wildly unpopular with the average Ukrainian, and Zelenskyy has stated that he would not commit to even discussing such an action without a referendum from the Ukrainian people.

Please go educated yourself on what is really happening in this war before talking out of your ass about it in the future. Ukrainians are dying while you can't even be bothered to inform yourself on the topic before playing arm-chair general and unknowning spouting russian propoganda. You are practically foaming at the mouth with pro-kremlin propoganda and disinformation.

 

[WeFlossDaily]

The last time Ukraine demilitarized Russia pinkie promised that if they gave up their nukes they would be just fine and dandy. So yeh I can see they're a little sus about this.

Exactly.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

WeFlossDaily: ok, I got it, I am delusional and Ukraine is on the verge of winning the war exactly like Germany won WWI. Good for you!

In other words: get a life, you are really full of your own pile of propaganda fed by your government, and this is also as far from reality as it gets. Your fairy tales about Ukraine defeating Russia, while having their charm and I would like to see that happen, are just lies fed to your soldiers so that they continue fighting willingly.

Just one thing: I am not rooting for Russia, far from it. I have just a view on the whole complex with less rosy outcome than you do, which is in my opinion a much more realistic view. When this is already "rooting for Russia" in your eyes, this is telling by far more about your low tolerance for other opinions and views on the outcome than anything else. Also always accusing people of being "pro Russian" and bad informed, just because their opinion is different from your own, is a bad discussion style, not meant to discuss things but to drag them into the mud. Shame on you.

Just as grounding experience let's review what Pete Hegseth has to say about the war at MSC 12/02/2025, though he's an idiot he's at the moment secretary of defense in America, so one very important person for Ukraine and also the official American take on it:

1. A return of Ukraine to is pre-2014 borders, before Russia's invasion of Crimea and its capture of four eastern regions, is "an unrealistic objective".
2. "Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering."
3. US troops won't be deplayed to Ukraine as any part of security guarantees.
4. Troops from NATO members would not be covered by the alliance's Article five, the self defense clause.
5. A peace deal allowing for eventual NATO membership is not feasible.

So in other words even your most important ally, America, rejects the idea of getting the occupied areas back as being feasable. Take it or leave it.

An interview in January 2025 with Oberst Reisner from the Austrian Army, stating "Ukraine is starting to loose the war." Of course again Russian fed propaganda out of Austria, or something like that then in your eyes. At the end of the day I trust his expertise more than your opinion.

Oberst Reisner zur militärischen Lage: "Ukraine ist dabei, diesen Krieg zu verlieren"

Russlands Vormarsch gehe gerade im Donbass stetig voran, so Oberst Markus Reisner. Jeden Tag würden mehrere Quadratkilometer in Besitz genommen.

www.zdfheute.de

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Time to listen to some Ukrainian voices. Stanislaw Assjejew, a Ukranian journalist who was a prisoner to the Russians for a long time in the eastern areas. After the war started he served in the Ukranian army, got wounded two times and left the service due to that. Since then he's working on investigating and uncovering Russian war crimes.

The interview was done at 23/02/2025 in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), a conservative German newspaper. Translation by Google.com.

-----
The US and Russia are currently negotiating about Ukraine, and the Europeans and Ukraine are barely getting a say. What do you think about this?
It's difficult to say anything concrete because everything changes literally every day. But in general, I would probably view Trump as president more positively than if it were the Democrats. Because with the Democrats, we would still have the status quo and would continue to do what we've been doing, with catastrophic consequences for us. Our country can't afford another three years of war at this pace. It's not about money or weapons, it's about people. We're running out of them. And we're getting tired. With Trump, the situation could take a turn for the worse for us, but either way, there will be a turnaround.

How do you assess the mood in Ukraine? How does the war weariness you speak of manifest itself?
We have an entire army of deserters, over 110,000 people*, and that's just the official number. It reflects the moral and psychological state of the army. Why is that? Because mobilization has failed. We can't replace people who are exhausted after three years on the front line. A deserter in Ukraine isn't someone who goes to the front today and leaves tomorrow. They're someone who has perhaps fought for three years, perhaps even been in the army since 2014, has fought 150 battles, and after the 151st, says: That's it, I'm done.

When you talk about a failure of mobilization—what exactly do you mean by that?
We can't recruit enough people to replace those who have been on the front line for years. That means we're recruiting just enough to keep the front line from collapsing. Every day we have losses—wounded and killed—and they have to be replaced. And there's no rotation. My unit was withdrawn from the position near Pokrovsk for two days, and then we were back at the front. For an entire brigade to be withdrawn for a month or two to recover is simply unheard of.

Was it ever better?
Everyone understands that this is not the same army it was in 2022. We now have Soviet conditions: the old command vertical, logbooks, reports, paperwork, the pursuit of ranks and the pursuit of being as far away from the front as possible. The horizontal plane has been completely wiped out. Now there is a rigid, absolutely idiotic vertical of people with Soviet training—and often without combat experience.

Has Ukraine become more like its enemy?
Yes! Russia has a large Soviet army plus North Koreans, and we have a small Soviet army. But they've also learned from us, adopted some things from us, especially in the area of drones. The Russians are starting to add a little IT technology to this Soviet Union, a certain flexibility. And we're going the other way. We've lost everything that was great about 2022, everything that made us kick Russia in the ass. We're still holding on, but only thanks to the eternal "Forward, forward, not a step back!"

Would a change in political leadership change anything? What do you think about the idea of holding new elections soon?
By the end of the year, I think that would be possible. We need new political leadership. President Zelenskyy has surrounded himself with people he believes are indispensable for Ukraine's survival, yet they have created a vertical of corruption. Civil society is crying out against this from all sides, but he isn't listening. However, the first thing we need to do is end the hot phase of the war and secure the line where the front line now runs. To do this, we would need peacekeepers, Western soldiers, and a guarantee that Russia won't attack again tomorrow. It's a very bad solution, but it's better than all the other options we have at the moment. I don't see any military options at the moment, not even a return to the 2022 borders.

What would that mean for the people in the occupied territories?
It will be just like what we've experienced in Donetsk and other occupied territories since 2014. Since 2014, Russia has acted absolutely systematically everywhere. Wherever we liberated our territory in 2022, it was the same everywhere: electric shock, cellars, hunger, sexual violence. All of this is being done to break the national will to resist, so that the people of Ukraine tell their representatives in power: Negotiate at any cost, just so this nightmare can end. They're doing this to show that it's impossible to fight Russia, that it's impossible to resist it.
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Ukraine-Krieg: Stanislaw Assejew über Kriegsmüdigkeit in der Ukraine

Der ukranische Journalist Stanislaw Assejew war in russischer Isolationshaft. Er sieht die Ukraine am Ende ihrer Kräfte. Mit Donald Trump könnte sich die Situation noch weiter verschlechtern.

www.faz.net