Zelenskyy’s New Year’s address sidelines Ukrainians, risking capitulation, while citizens are urged to stay resilient, act decisively, and prepare for a long, difficult struggle.
“People can’t be fooled anymore,” I shouted at Zelenskyy in my dream today. “People aren’t ready to die or fight for a country that disrespects and hypocritically deceives them.”
This was written by Darya Kalenyuk on Censor.net.
How could I possibly dream this on New Year’s Eve? I wondered, waking up in the morning… Why?
I went to watch Zelenskyy’s New Year’s address. And I was shocked.
First of all, it was a New Year’s message to the peoples of Europe and the U.S., as well as their leaders. Ukrainian society and the Ukrainian people were pushed to the background. The main message from the President of Ukraine was that ending the war depends on America and Europe, who must pressure Russia into something. And Ukrainians will have to approve some kind of end to the war. It seems like a hint at a referendum.
Second, the “dove of strong peace” spoke from the screen, claiming that 90 percent of a peace deal is already in place. Only 10 percent remains — though what exactly that is, the dove of peace implies between the lines. All that is needed, supposedly, is Russia’s consent. And just as “simply,” to hand over the non-occupied territories of Donbas in exchange for security guarantees said to be stronger than the Budapest Memorandum and the Minsk trap. This brings to mind how throughout 2024 Zelenskyy fed the public talk of “bilateral security guarantees signed with dozens of countries,” which in reality turned out to be a mirage — a complete PR fiction.
Third, not a single word about victory. Nor anything about the changes needed both in society and in state governance to achieve it. All that is required is to “stay one step ahead” of Russia. Simply “hold out one day longer than the enemy.” Be just a little braver than the enemy. And then something will happen… something that will be called a “strong peace”… if Russia wants it, or if America pressures Russia into it.
That’s it. Is this really our plan? Our strategy?
Because this is a direct path to capitulation and a strategic defeat.
The truth is that:
1. Russia does not want peace. It wants to control all of Ukraine. For Russia, Ukraine is a staging ground for an offensive against all of Europe, but Europe stubbornly refuses to see this.
2. America does not want to pressure Russia, because Putin has already promised golden mountains worth trillions of dollars to Trump’s close business circle.
3. Europe is frightened, but not ready to shift its economy onto a wartime footing. Europe’s strategy is to buy time in order to:
a) keep America — more precisely, NATO’s U.S. military bases — in Europe for as long as possible;
b) help Ukraine hold out longer in the role of Europe’s shield, because Ukrainians have grown accustomed to dying, while European citizens are used to taking two two‑week vacations a year;
c) slowly rearm, but without sharply increasing utility costs for the average European voter.
4. If nothing changes and we simply remain “one step ahead of the enemy,” there will be no just and dignified peace. Only capitulation — or a short pause before the next, even bloodier phase of the war.
5. We cannot change Russia. We cannot change America. We cannot change Europe. But we can — and must — change ourselves. We must be not one step, but light‑years ahead of Russia, so that the enemy is gripped by fear and panic at the very thought of attacking us. We must make a quantum leap in development — to survive, to simply have the right to exist. This requires the mobilization of the entire society: all talents, innovations, resilience, and effective cooperation. We have enormous potential for this, but the key to real change and victory lies in the system of state governance.
6. As long as the president’s Mindichs are carving up strategic sectors of the economy —
as long as the president’s Yermaks are clumsily handling diplomacy and military command —
as long as the president himself is building his own “Mezhyhirya” during a war paid for in blood, punishing the country’s best citizens for speaking the truth freely, and remains incapable of admitting mistakes or changing —
we will remain weak from within.
Ukraine and its people will have no real agency and will remain pieces on a chessboard moved by other players. For ordinary people, this will mean new deaths, suffering, enslavement, and repression. For Zelenskyy, it will mean going down in history not as a hero or a father of the nation, but as a failed joke played on Ukraine.
7. What should we do? Assess reality soberly. Filter out hypocritical lies and sweet PR promises. Accept that it will not get easier. This marathon will be long. There is nowhere to run — and no need to. Thank God that we are still alive and able to act. Our victory will be His divine miracle. Take care of your physical and mental health, as well as that of your loved ones. Be kind and compassionate to the people around you, because it is very hard for all of us. And honestly and diligently do what is within your power, wherever you are. For yourself, and for those who have already given their lives so that we have a chance to make things better.
