Zaluzhnyi reveals how the war may end

Russia's war against Ukraine can end without either country winning or losing, said in an exclusive column for LIGA.net former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.

"It is a very strange situation when the issue of the end of the war becomes a topic for the next predictors in Ukraine under the pressure of the next information pretext," he notes.

The former commander-in-chief believes that information is clearly not enough to formulate the very termination of the war.

Ending or stopping a war, especially one of attrition, will depend on a combination of gains or losses on the military, economic and political fronts, Zaluzhny noted, adding that a collapse on one of these fronts "can only create the preconditions for its end."

"However, the stability of the whole structure is absolutely dependent on the stability and potential of others. For example, the peace in Ukraine that has been predicted so quickly will raise rather tough questions in Russia about the number of human losses – it will be as difficult to explain as it is to explain corruption in Ukraine today. And it is natural that the situation on the political front in Russia will not allow this to happen without significant concessions or complete defeat on our part," explains the former military officer.

He adds that it is difficult to say whether the mediators who are trying to "draw scenarios" for Ukraine understand this: "But the fact that every time the conditions do not get better for Ukraine is obvious."

According to Zaluzhnyi, when formulating the political goal of a war, it is important to remember that it does not always end in victory for one side and defeat for the other: the vast majority of wars end in either mutual defeat, or in each side being confident of its victory, or other options.

"So, when we talk about victory, we must honestly say this: victory is the collapse of the Russian Empire, and defeat is the complete occupation of Ukraine through its collapse. Everything else is just a continuation of the war," the former head of state said.

Although Ukrainians, of course, want a complete victory (the collapse of the Russian Empire), they cannot reject the option of a long-term, years-long cessation of the war, as this is "the most common way of ending wars in the history of wars," the former military officer emphasizes.

He believes that peace, even if it is in anticipation of the next war, offers a chance for political change, deep reforms, full recovery, economic growth, and the return of citizens.

"We can even talk about the beginning of the formation of a safe, maximally protected state thanks to innovations and technologies. Formation and strengthening of the foundations of a just state through the fight against corruption and the establishment of a fair court. Economic development of the country, in particular, on the basis of international economic programs for the country's recovery," explains Zaluzhnyi.

• Read the full column of the former commander-in-chief exclusively on LIGA.net