Reflections on Volodymyr Zelensky's 'Victory Plan'.

First, a couple of aphorisms:

Patriotism has become one of the common topics in our conversations, and Johnson unexpectedly voiced forcefully and decisively an aphorism that many will pounce on: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." But I believe he did not mean real and generous love for our country but the kind of patriotism that so many, in all times and in all countries, have used as a cover for personal interests" – James Boswell, 1775. Patriotism was invented by feudal lords to save money on maintaining their soldiers – Authorship not established.

Many philosophizing analysts call the Russian-Ukrainian war an existential war/conflict, referring to the fact that the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine with the aim of changing the social order on its territory and returning it to the fold of the totalitarian-imperial "historical Russia." Not necessarily as a "subject of the Russian Federation." Putin would be quite satisfied with a relatively independent monarch/tyrant of Ukraine, as long as the "blemish of democracy" did not irritate the eyes of the Russian ruler and his subjects at the empire's borders.

However, the existential nature of this war is gradually diminishing, as the Kyiv authorities have, over the course of 2.5 years, acquired too many features characteristic of the current rulers of Russia. The internet is controlled, the media is almost completely monopolized, "law enforcers" carry out any commands from "5-6 efficient managers" regarding asset seizure, and they don't forget about themselves, picking up smaller prey. Corruption at all levels and the citizens' loss of rights have enveloped the country with an unprecedented scale, sometimes surpassing even the "existential enemy."

The motivation of most volunteers who stood up for Ukraine in February 2022 is gradually evaporating with the drift of the Ukrainian government towards authoritarianism. Thus, the war has practically lost its existential character, turning into a banal feudal war of national lords with a neighbor for the right to "shear their own sheep."

In these conditions, the motive to fight "for Freedom" needs to be replaced with something. The term "Freedom" is too dissonant with what is actually happening in the country. Court propagandists had to pull out an old, good "patriotism" from dusty chests as a justification for the necessity to fight so that Ukrainians are robbed by "Ukrainians," not "alien imperials."

All traditional methods and tools were involved in the process of substituting the motive for war. In connection with the "fallen" in previous surges of "patriotism" communist leaders, not only Pushkin and Tolstoy, but also Kyiv native Bulgakov, and the symbol of the Soviet empire's collapse Viktor Tsoi, and the vernacular Russian language went under the knife. It's not far before the "decommunization" of Nikolai Gogol and Taras Shevchenko, who wrote their prose in Russian.

Moreover, this "patriotic blaze" is fueled not only and no longer by nationalist "traditionalists," but also by official government spokespeople. Freshly, the "minister of education," who supported the initiative of "language patrols" during school breaks. Suspectingly timely was the killing of the "flag-bearer" of derussification Iryna Farion. However, this event did not cause much stir due to the low popularity of the murdered among the vast majority of Ukrainians. The ethnic background of the main "Ukronazi" adds a special tragicomic twist to this whole situation. With such a Supreme, ethnification of the war fits on the head with the same screech as an owl on a globe.

But, despite its obvious artificiality, such a radical drift of Ukrainian war propaganda towards "ethnification" of the war is just a gift to the propaganda of the enemy. Their bogus theses about the oppression of Russian speakers and Russian culture in Ukraine at the beginning of the war are now filled with real facts and confirmations. The doctrine of the Ukrainian leadership on the ethnification of war not only kills the motivation of Ukrainian citizens to participate in it, but also deprives supporters of military assistance to Ukraine in the West of arguments. And this is a real diversion with far-reaching consequences, not just the prank of ultra-nationalist politicians.

Moreover, the war has become a tool for extending the current government's powers. As for me, Ukraine now has the weakest and least professional government it has seen in all years of independence. But they are not all complete idiots and understand that their power will end immediately after the next elections. I believe that some of the beneficiaries of the current government hope that by the Time of elections, they will be able to control electoral moods through further media concentration under their control and indulge in the illusion of continuing the current or similar existence after the elections. But most "efficient managers" do not have such illusions, and therefore Ukrainian anonymous rich people have become one of the largest holders of cryptocurrency in the world. And cryptocurrency is one of the safest investments if suddenly you'll have to flee somewhere and cover your tracks.

What unites both sides...