Ukraine has begun to gradually lose the information war on its own territory, and instead of the fighting spirit and optimism inherent in 2022, we are beginning to hear the “groaning of offended slaves” more and more.
In 2022, the situation in Ukraine was catastrophic. The Russians invaded nine regions, there were battles on the streets of Kyiv and Kharkiv, we had losses and did not receive any significant Western support, except for handguns. But while the West believed that Kyiv would fall and the Ukrainian Armed Forces would be partisan somewhere on the Right Bank, Ukrainians did not whine about the loss of everything,” but lined up at military commissariats, donated and shared photos of burned Russian equipment. The situation was bad at the time, but Ukrainians had a fighting spirit, optimism and faith in victory, and this translated into successes at the front.
Today, the situation in the country and at the front is much better than in March-April 2022. We are not retreating, but holding the front against all odds. Russian attacks, which the Kremlin sought to develop after Avdiivka, drowned in the blood of the Russian military. Our Western partners supply us with weapons and financial support. Of course, the supply process is not flawless, but what army in any war in history could claim that military and financial supply is perfect?
Whatever the case with American aid, European military and economic support is coming instead. Ukraine will continue to be supported because capitals on both sides of the Atlantic are aware of the Russian threat.
We have entered a situation of positional warfare, but this is not a reason to panic, given the logic of other military conflicts in the history of warfare. A pitiful whining that “everything is gone,” “we are all going to die,” “we have been abandoned,” etc. does not contribute to the Ukrainian victory. A nation that defends itself and fights for survival, for the avoidance of a new famine and the Russians’ turning our entire country into a shooting hole, cannot afford to get tired of war. The Russians are now actively spreading demotivating advertising in the Ukrainian segment of social media, which is aimed at destroying the desire of Ukrainians to defend their country. And some Ukrainians are falling for this enemy propaganda and spreading despondency, generalized pacifism, and talking about the “house on the edge”. But with this attitude, we will not stop the war or protect our homes, we will only help the Kadyrovites to enter our homes.
Theorists of the Ukrainian liberation movement noted that “The nation can be saved only by the birth of a new psychology of victors, not by the eternal moaning and tears of offended slaves.” Today, Ukrainians realize the relevance of these words of statecraft. If the Kremlin received reports not that the number of evaders in Ukraine is growing and Ukrainians are desperate and tired of fighting, but that Ukrainians in the rear hate the occupiers and are determined to defend their country, the Kremlin tyrant would be forced to dispel his illusions and look for a way out for his troops from Ukraine. Why do Ukrainians think that the aggressor will be stopped by the victim’s weakness and whining, not by the fighting spirit and strength of resistance?
The history of any conflict shows that it is often enough to demonstrate determination and hatred of the enemy, as this can force the attacker to retreat. And it’s not even about the scale of our enemy: the last few decades have confirmed the existence of small countries and peoples that neither the Russians nor anyone else wants to attack anymore. Because the occupiers know that the locals will not whine or cry, but will destroy the enemy. For lasting peace in the twenty-first century, Ukrainians need this kind of national dignity and psychology of resistance.
Author: Valeriy Maydanyuk
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