“The war will not end this autumn or, I fear, the next one.
This is a long-term war. The Russians have set a goal to destroy us. For us, it
is now much more important to preserve our personnel than to hold any position,
village, or even city,” Yabchanka emphasized on Radio NV.
According to Yabchanka, the best tactic for Ukraine under
these conditions is to “exchange with, so to speak, the greatest, pardon my
French, course” — to eliminate enemy personnel with minimal losses.
Views on the duration and resolution of the war
In late July, Yevhen Holovakha, head of the Institute of
Sociology, told NV that Ukrainians no longer believe the war will end quickly,
with 60% of respondents unsure when it might end.
On July 28, speaking to graduates of the Kyiv School of
Economics, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence
Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, stated that the war will
definitely end as it is a “lawful process.”
On July 21, commenting on U.S. presidential candidate Donald
Trump’s claim that he would end the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours,” Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the simple way to achieve that would be to
force Ukrainians to cede territory. He stressed that there is no one in the
world who can make Ukraine accept such terms.
In May, Maria Berlinska, head of the Aerorozvidka Support
Center, harshly criticized the propaganda of “two to three weeks and coffee in
Crimea” in an interview with Radio NV, noting that it caused significant harm.
She emphasized that honest communication to the public about the prolonged
nature of the war is currently the best approach.
In April, military analyst Igal Levin stated on Radio NV
that Russia expects it can continue fighting Ukraine for another year and a
half.
In January, political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko stated
that a swift liberation of Ukraine was never a goal for the U.S.
Thomas Jermalavicius, head of research at the International
Centre for Defence and Security in Tallinn, Estonia, mentioned in January a plan
for how Ukraine could defeat Russia by 2025 or, at the latest, by 2026.
In December 2023, Josep Borrell, a high representative of
the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated that Europe
must prepare for a high-intensity and prolonged war in Ukraine, as Russian
dictator Vladimir Putin will continue fighting until “final victory.”
In September 2023, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
stated that there would be no quick end to the war in Ukraine, so the Alliance
must prepare for a prolonged conflict.