The first months of the war became a vivid example of what our people were capable of – Ukrainians were able to repel a more numerous and stronger enemy solely due to personal courage and mutual aid. This was especially clearly felt in the first days of the war, when no one understood what would happen next, but everyone tried to help others. What is worth the story of a man from Kyiv who had several cars, which he left in the city with full fuel tanks and keys in the ignition so that people without cars could use them. Another example is the Ukrainian Volunteer Movement, which did and is doing extraordinary things for our victory. There were hundreds and thousands of such examples. It was then that we were a nation with a capital letter. But time passed, the situation stabilized, social resonance began to fade, and as of now, our society is again divided into camps, as it was before the war. This division is due to internal instability, ill-considered actions of our officials, as well as enemies from outside. Right now, more than ever, our society is divided into “camps” based on language, religion, and ideological principles, to which the relation to war and mobilization has also been added.
Language issue
In Ukraine, the language issue has always been extremely acute and, most often, fluctuated between extremes. Politicians and activists from both camps, with their statements and ideas, often widened the gap between ordinary Ukrainians, which is already quite large. So, for example, Russian-speaking citizens call state programs aimed at strengthening Ukrainian positions as oppression of their rights. At the same time, the most radical defenders of the Ukrainian language consider almost all of them FSB agents and potential traitors. As always, in this situation, the truth should be found somewhere in the middle. Under the influence of historical factors, it happened that a large number of citizens of Ukraine speak Russian, and we, as a society, need to take this into account, working with it from the position of permanent, but exclusively gentle, Ukrainization.
Recently, the percentage of those who have switched to the Ukrainian language has been constantly increasing, but this is not the result of the aggressive rhetoric of many activists, but rather the rise of national consciousness and constant propaganda of everything Ukrainian. It is extremely difficult for people to adjust their sleep patterns or to stop smoking, but what about the language that a person has been speaking since childhood? Theses of the type “Suitcase. Station. Russia.” are absolutely unacceptable in the language issue, because instead of motivation and support, a person who can potentially become a Ukrainian speaker receives aggression and turns on the defense mechanism.
The state policy regarding the language issue can be considered correct and effective. In simple words, it consists in the fact that a citizen of Ukraine must know the state language and use it in official affairs, and in everyday life – use the one he chooses himself, without discrediting and oppression.
An important event took place on March 15, 2024, namely the adoption by the Cabinet of Ministers of the State target national and cultural program for ensuring the development and functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language, which is calculated until 2030. This program involves the creation of more than 500 educational and training initiatives and courses for people who want to improve their knowledge of the Ukrainian language or learn it. The main goals of the program are to spread and strengthen the position of the Ukrainian language in the middle of the state and outside its borders.
Ideological component
In terms of ideological diversity, no one can surpass modern Ukraine. Constant quarrels and conflicts, under the pressure of historical factors, have become almost national traditions for Ukrainians. Even at a time when it seemed that we needed maximum consolidation, maximum tolerance for each other, people try to “scratch” each other’s eyes, and internal and external provocateurs, taking advantage of this, only add fuel to the fire. The eternal problem of Ukrainian statehood consists in constant ideological misunderstandings, which in moments of political instability and military danger are most often the cause of the loss of this very statehood. Examples of this thesis lie on the surface of our history – Kyivan Rus ceased to exist due to princely quarrels, the Cossacks suffered defeats due to the constant struggle for the mace, the UNR Directory was also unable to consolidate and protect the young state. We are now in a similar situation.
What is the state doing at this moment? Makes unpopular but necessary decisions, which usually become another stumbling block on the way to ideological understanding within society. The military is asking for demobilization, volunteers for allocation of funds, men in the rear oppose the new law on mobilization, all together – against corruption. And this is at a time when the Russian IPSO spends millions of dollars a month to destabilize the political situation in Ukraine.
The issue of mobilization
The adoption of the new Law on Mobilization, which will enter into force on May 18, 2024, was another reason for social fluctuations and division into different camps. The military and a large number of activists and experts accepted this draft law as an opportunity to break the situation at the front in our direction, and to give rest to those who have been fighting for a long time. Although it was not without incidents – from the final text of the draft law, the provision concerning the possibility of dismissal of a serviceman after 36 months of service in the Armed Forces was removed.
The rest of the society took the innovation extremely negatively. In fact, the fact that people have no desire to fight is a completely normal psychological fact, absolutely everyone understands this. However, the society again goes to extremes – some propose to drive everyone who can hold a weapon into the trenches, while others promote the idea that only volunteers should fight. And as we understand – both sides are wrong. No state in the world can wage a full-fledged long-term war without constant mobilization, as well as fight exclusively with volunteers or personnel soldiers.
What’s wrong with mobilization theses?
- Everyone has to fight.
Do not have. Point. In the conditions of modern war, according to the calculations of analytical centers of the US Army, one soldier in the trench is supported by 7 servicemen from the rear services, and civilians even more – up to 12 people. It is possible to calculate the ratio of the total number of Armed Forces to those participating in direct combat with simple mathematical calculations.
- If I get hurt, I’ll be useless.
Of course, the situation with military medicine needs to be reformed, however, I can say from my own experience that the state is doing everything possible for high-quality treatment and rehabilitation of wounded servicemen. However, as in any other system, there are malfunctions or errors taking into account the human factor, but the general situation with the treatment of servicemen is developing in positive dynamics.
- I don’t know how to hold a machine gun in my hands, and I will immediately be thrown under Bakhmut.
Now the situation with the training and education of military personnel is at a qualitatively higher level than it was at the beginning of the war. New training centers are appearing, the opportunities for training abroad are expanding, such a phenomenon as recruiting is widely used – these and other aspects have a positive effect on the general training of the troops, and therefore on their effectiveness. Personally, during my two years of service, I met only three people who arrived at the front without any training, and all of them were volunteers who agreed to such a step themselves.
- Why do I have to fight, and the children of deputies and officials do not?
One of the most common narratives used to create confrontation between social groups. In fact, this thesis is one of the most manipulative, because, according to various sources, from 800 to 2,300 officials of all levels, including members of the Verkhovna Rada, are taking part in the war against the Russian Federation. However, there is also the so-called “Monaco” battalion, and many other cases that annoy people with their injustice and discourage them from going to war.
Now we stand at a crossroads – to unite and win, or to move on and disappear. In this situation, we should not forget the principle that is used against us: “divide and rule!”. The best antidote to social division and manipulation has always been and remains the making of balanced decisions by politicians, the ability to listen, think critically and respect each other. If we learn to use these components, then we will become truly unified, consolidated, and therefore invincible. Unity is our strength!
Pavlo Groholskyi
