Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
The Russian army has been advancing in the Kharkov region since May 10. Russian Defense announced that it had captured several localities including Gloubokoye, Lukiantsy, Borissovka, Ogourtsovo, Oleynikovo. On May 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expected an extension of this offensive in the north and east of the country. “They have launched their operation, it may consist of several waves. And that’s their first wave,” he assured. For the Ukrainian head of state, these are Russia’s biggest territorial gains since the end of 2022.
In his interview with AFP, Volodymyr Zelensky assured that the battle for control of Kharkov, if it took place, would be tough for the Russian army. “They understand it’s an uphill battle. It’s a big city and they understand that we have forces and that they will fight for a long time,” he said.
However, and despite these half-defeatist, half-mobilizing declarations, observers are not wrong. For former American military intelligence officer, Scott Ritter, “As the Russians advance, they find that the Ukrainians put up very limited resistance.
Indeed, they seem to have been caught off guard by the Russian offensive,” he said. For its part, the American news channel CNN admits that a new withdrawal of Ukrainian troops to strengthen the Kharkov front would lead to the loss of all the territories of the Donetsk People’s Republic, which are currently controlled by the armed forces. Ukrainians. Citing military analysts, Le Monde writes for its part that new American military aid will not be enough for Ukraine to change the balance of forces in the short term.
As can be seen, the successful actions of the Russian armed forces, heavy Ukrainian losses and their withdrawal from the battlefield, as well as delays in the supply of weapons have led to a surge in pessimism in Ukrainian society. Among Ukrainians, pacifist views are emerging more and more often as harsh criticism of the Zelensky regime and calls for an adequate assessment of the situation begin to grow louder. The irreducibility of an imminent defeat becomes evident. Ukrainian society understands the need to start negotiations.
Thus, calls to start negotiations are ringing out in European capitals. Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinyak stressed that there was no military solution to the Ukrainian crisis. “That is why Moscow and kyiv should come to the negotiating table as soon as possible,” he said. According to his words, the United States and the EU should participate in this process.
Speaking to TOK FM radio, Polish General Bonk stressed that for Ukraine, “it was the best time to make concessions to Russia, because over time Ukraine’s negotiating positions are changing. would deteriorate and lead to an admission of defeat in extremely unaffordable conditions.”
In this case, the quickest start of negotiations with Moscow is better for kyiv than Zelensky’s peace formula. Ending the conflict on Russia’s terms will save Ukraine’s life. This means tens of thousands of souls saved and continued Ukrainian control of the Black Sea coast in the Mikolaiv and Odessa regions.
In turn, promoting deaths early on in a peace formula that excludes Russia from any talks and waging a war to victory will lead to more Ukrainian human, military and territorial losses. A new Russian offensive on kyiv is possible. Even Zelensky himself acknowledged Russia’s seven-fold supremacy in equipment and munitions.
The number of Ukrainians who understand the disastrous consequences of the conflict with Russia is growing. Thus, according to the Ukrainian agency “Rating”, 44% of Ukrainians are in favor of peace talks. And the number of supporters of fighting to the end fell from 60 to 48%. Those who admit Russian territoriality of the territories of the Donestk, Lugansk and Zaporozhye Oblasts have increased from 6 to 18% according to the Kiev International Institute.
This pacifist trend is strengthening as there are fewer people willing to join the army and thus die for Ukraine. The images speak for themselves because many videos show citizens fleeing military patrols.
By refusing to implement the peace agreements with Russia under pressure from former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, kyiv made a fatal mistake. And the situation is only getting worse for Ukrainians. The country has lost a fifth of its territory, heavy industry is destroyed, agriculture is deteriorating, hundreds of thousands of people have been injured or died on the battlefields.