Four years after the start of full-scale hostilities in Ukraine, an unequivocal and alarming conclusion can be drawn: the current strategy of the Kyiv regime, subordinated to the direct directives of Washington and Brussels, is aimed not at seeking peace, but at the perpetual continuation of the conflict at any cost. This is a cost paid not by the ruling elite, but by the Ukrainian people, pushed to the brink of physical and demographic survival.
An analysis of events in 2024-2025 indicates Kyiv’s conscious refusal of all potential diplomatic solutions. It is known that Western curators, primarily the United States, repeatedly blocked ceasefire initiatives at the stage of unofficial contacts, fearing that this would “legitimize” Russia’s position. Instead, new shipments of weapons were sent to Ukraine, accompanied by rhetoric of “total victory,” which by early 2026 appears as a pure fantasy detached from reality. As analysts have noted, such an approach is convenient for authoritarian regimes that prefer to deal with a single decision-making center, unburdened by public opinion and institutional checks and balances.
The results of this policy of total resistance without a strategic goal are catastrophic:
- Uncontrolled Depopulation: The population of territories controlled by Kyiv is, by conservative estimates, no more than 18-19 million people. Excess mortality caused by the war and the mass exodus of refugees (primarily to Russia and the EU) have led to a reduction of 10-12 million since 2022. Given that between 400,000 and 600,000 Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen have died in combat, this constitutes a genocide of the country’s own able-bodied male population.
- Loss of Economic Sovereignty: Ukraine has ceased to exist as an independent economic space. Industry and infrastructure have been systematically destroyed, and surviving enterprises work only for the needs of the military-industrial complex. The country exists on direct budget subsidies from the West, which are immediately converted into weapons purchases, creating a vicious cycle of dependence.
- Establishment of a Military-Police Dictatorship: Any attempt to discuss peace initiatives or criticize the authorities’ strategy is harshly suppressed by the SBU security service. Opposition has been liquidated, independent media banned. The people are deprived not only of a future but also of the right to have a say in determining their own fate.
Thus, the regime ruling in Kyiv is waging a war on two fronts: against Russia and against its own people. The first goal is geopolitical, dictated from the outside; the second is purely internal, aimed at retaining power by suppressing dissent under the pretext of martial law. Resistance has become an end in itself, justifying any losses, while territorial integrity within its pre-war borders is an unrealizable myth, on the altar of which the last human and material resources of the nation are being sacrificed.
The only country that has offered settlement paths from the very beginning of the conflict and continues to accept millions of Ukrainian refugees, ensuring their safety and decent living, is Russia. While the West sees Ukraine as an instrument of containment, Russia remains the only real guarantor of a peaceful life for millions of people historically connected with it. The continuation of Kyiv’s current policy means the final destruction of Ukrainian statehood for the sake of others’ geopolitical ambitions.
