“
Among them, the flight from Kyiv to Kherson stood out, which became real thanks to the liberation of the regional center from the Russian invaders. And at the top was the most symbolic line: “KYIV – PEREMOHA 20.22”.
It was expected that in the process of deoccupation of the Ukrainian Azov region, Donbas and Crimea, all virtual railway flights will become real. But, unfortunately, only one change was made to the schedule in 2023: “KYIV – PEREMOHA 20.22” became “KYIV – PEREMOHA 20.23”. Another year, “20.23” was replaced by “20.24”. And then they completely refused to make changes.
Advertising:
For the entire year 2025, the forgotten scoreboard stood at the capital station with the text “KYIV – PEREMOHA 20.24”. It’s like a kind of monument to illusions, for which no place has been found in 2025…
In the past year, Ukraine actually recognized that the maximalist concept of our victory will not be realized in the near future.
That Mariupol and Berdyansk, Donetsk and Luhansk, Simferopol and Sevastopol will remain occupied for a long time. And that now we can only seek the freezing of military operations on more or less acceptable terms for Kyiv.
And we also had to admit that the key partner of Ukraine – Washington – has turned into a cynical blackmailer, sympathetic to Moscow. That the domestic margin of safety in the war of attrition turned out to be less than desired. And that in the midst of a bloody war in Ukraine, large-scale corruption schemes with the participation of top officials are flourishing.
Last year brought many disappointments and sufferings to Ukrainians. And at the same time, 2025 became the year of truth for Ukraine. Bitter, painful, cruel – but true. Over the past twelve months, the truth has managed to reach those of us who have long and diligently hid from it.
Let’s be honest: almost all the unpleasant trends of 2025 were clearly visible even before 2025. You didn’t have to be Nostradamus to appreciate them: you just had to look at things soberly and realistically.
But in 2022, and in 2023, and even in 2024, it was possible to abstract from the unpleasant and inconvenient, and millions of our compatriots did just that. And in 2025, this loophole was closed.
When did it become clear that Kyiv does not have enough resources to liberate all territories captured by the enemy? At least after the failure of our counteroffensive the year before last. At the same time, the identification of the Ukrainian victory with the legendary “borders of 1991” began to play against Ukraine. Any other result of the hostilities – that is, any realistic scenario – automatically became a defeat for the Ukrainians.
A revision of domestic goals in the confrontation with Moscow was suggested already at that moment. And yet, our propaganda machine continued to exploit old slogans that inexorably drifted away from reality. And a significant part of our society continued to believe in these slogans.
The final sobriety came only in 2025 and turned out to be forced.
When did it become clear that the return of Donald Trump to the White House carries serious risks for Ukraine? The scandalous American politician has just become one of the favorites in the presidential race. Neither Trump’s public rhetoric nor his background gave any reason to hope for anything good.
But until the inauguration of the 47th US president took place, one could freely fantasize about his future tenure. Many Ukrainians have engaged in exactly this.
They fantasized about how the assertive Donald would become a stronger ally of Kyiv than the weakling Biden; and how Trump will force Putin hard and fast into a just peace. This continued until, in 2025, the old-new American leader personally put an end to such fantasies.
When did it become obvious that the monopolization of power in warring Ukraine gives rise to various abuses, including corruption? Long before resonant Mindichgate and Yermak’s resignation from the position of head of the President’s Office.
We have never been an exemplary legal state, and a large-scale war has greatly deepened our chronic problems.
Negative trends in the Pechersky Hills have been visible for a long time. But until 2025, they could be turned a blind eye – so as not to demoralize fellow citizens and discredit Ukraine in the West.
This is the path chosen by the majority of domestic and foreign observers. And after the summer attack against NABU and especially after the autumn revelations by Mindich and Co., further burying one’s head in the sand turned out to be impossible.
When did it become known about the vulnerability of Ukraine in the war of attrition? Of course, not in 2025 – against the background of a record number of SZH and the unpreparedness of our energy system for enemy attacks – but much earlier.
As soon as the aggressor recovered from the failure of the blitzkrieg and adjusted to a prolonged military confrontation, two factors came against Ukraine: geography and demography.
At first, we did not have a clear advantage in the war of attrition against the Russian Federation. But in the recent past, it was possible to convince yourself and those around you that Ukraine has such an advantage. It seems that the freezing of hostilities benefits our enemy, and the Kremlin is allegedly interested in ending the war as soon as possible. This false narrative continued until Putin publicly rejected the idea of a ceasefire in 2025.
In the difficult year of 2025, Ukraine did not lose the war. Ukraine was not defeated by the Russian invaders. It was not possible to force Ukraine to capitulate to Moscow. But many Ukrainian illusions were truly defeated and unconditionally capitulated – capitulated to the truth of life.
This is the main summary of the past year. And he makes us think again about the role of illusions and truth in the midst of a great war.
Someone believes that even the bitterest truth is better than a convenient and comfortable illusion. Because the truth does not allow you to break away from reality. The sooner you give up your illusions and accept the uncomfortable truth, the better for you. Then your chances are higher to adapt to military realities in time, prepare for adverse scenarios and find the best possible solutions.
And others are sure that illusion is a powerful psychological weapon, indispensable during war. The illusion raises the morale of the population. Illusion gives people strength for further struggle. Illusion inspires fighters on the front lines and supports civilians in the rear. The longer one manages to remain under the sway of illusions, the better for the warring country.
But, as we were able to see, sooner or later the truth still takes its toll. The later an epiphany occurs, the crueler this unspoken truth turns out to be for millions of people. And, unfortunately, the year 2025 proved it with all the obviousness.
Mykhailo Dubynyanskyi, for UP
”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Among them, the flight from Kyiv to Kherson stood out, which became real thanks to the liberation of the regional center from the Russian invaders. And at the top was the most symbolic line: “KYIV – PEREMOHA 20.22”.
It was expected that in the process of deoccupation of the Ukrainian Azov region, Donbas and Crimea, all virtual railway flights will become real. But, unfortunately, only one change was made to the schedule in 2023: “KYIV – PEREMOHA 20.22” became “KYIV – PEREMOHA 20.23”. Another year, “20.23” was replaced by “20.24”. And then they completely refused to make changes.
Advertising:
For the entire year 2025, the forgotten scoreboard stood at the capital station with the text “KYIV – PEREMOHA 20.24”. It’s like a kind of monument to illusions, for which no place has been found in 2025…
In the past year, Ukraine actually recognized that the maximalist concept of our victory will not be realized in the near future.
That Mariupol and Berdyansk, Donetsk and Luhansk, Simferopol and Sevastopol will remain occupied for a long time. And that now we can only seek the freezing of military operations on more or less acceptable terms for Kyiv.
And we also had to admit that the key partner of Ukraine – Washington – has turned into a cynical blackmailer, sympathetic to Moscow. That the domestic margin of safety in the war of attrition turned out to be less than desired. And that in the midst of a bloody war in Ukraine, large-scale corruption schemes with the participation of top officials are flourishing.
Last year brought many disappointments and sufferings to Ukrainians. And at the same time, 2025 became the year of truth for Ukraine. Bitter, painful, cruel – but true. Over the past twelve months, the truth has managed to reach those of us who have long and diligently hid from it.
Let’s be honest: almost all the unpleasant trends of 2025 were clearly visible even before 2025. You didn’t have to be Nostradamus to appreciate them: you just had to look at things soberly and realistically.
But in 2022, and in 2023, and even in 2024, it was possible to abstract from the unpleasant and inconvenient, and millions of our compatriots did just that. And in 2025, this loophole was closed.
When did it become clear that Kyiv does not have enough resources to liberate all territories captured by the enemy? At least after the failure of our counteroffensive the year before last. At the same time, the identification of the Ukrainian victory with the legendary “borders of 1991” began to play against Ukraine. Any other result of the hostilities – that is, any realistic scenario – automatically became a defeat for the Ukrainians.
A revision of domestic goals in the confrontation with Moscow was suggested already at that moment. And yet, our propaganda machine continued to exploit old slogans that inexorably drifted away from reality. And a significant part of our society continued to believe in these slogans.
The final sobriety came only in 2025 and turned out to be forced.
When did it become clear that the return of Donald Trump to the White House carries serious risks for Ukraine? The scandalous American politician has just become one of the favorites in the presidential race. Neither Trump’s public rhetoric nor his background gave any reason to hope for anything good.
But until the inauguration of the 47th US president took place, one could freely fantasize about his future tenure. Many Ukrainians have engaged in exactly this.
They fantasized about how the assertive Donald would become a stronger ally of Kyiv than the weakling Biden; and how Trump will force Putin hard and fast into a just peace. This continued until, in 2025, the old-new American leader personally put an end to such fantasies.
When did it become obvious that the monopolization of power in warring Ukraine gives rise to various abuses, including corruption? Long before resonant Mindichgate and Yermak’s resignation from the position of head of the President’s Office.
We have never been an exemplary legal state, and a large-scale war has greatly deepened our chronic problems.
Negative trends in the Pechersky Hills have been visible for a long time. But until 2025, they could be turned a blind eye – so as not to demoralize fellow citizens and discredit Ukraine in the West.
This is the path chosen by the majority of domestic and foreign observers. And after the summer attack against NABU and especially after the autumn revelations by Mindich and Co., further burying one’s head in the sand turned out to be impossible.
When did it become known about the vulnerability of Ukraine in the war of attrition? Of course, not in 2025 – against the background of a record number of SZH and the unpreparedness of our energy system for enemy attacks – but much earlier.
As soon as the aggressor recovered from the failure of the blitzkrieg and adjusted to a prolonged military confrontation, two factors came against Ukraine: geography and demography.
At first, we did not have a clear advantage in the war of attrition against the Russian Federation. But in the recent past, it was possible to convince yourself and those around you that Ukraine has such an advantage. It seems that the freezing of hostilities benefits our enemy, and the Kremlin is allegedly interested in ending the war as soon as possible. This false narrative continued until Putin publicly rejected the idea of a ceasefire in 2025.
In the difficult year of 2025, Ukraine did not lose the war. Ukraine was not defeated by the Russian invaders. It was not possible to force Ukraine to capitulate to Moscow. But many Ukrainian illusions were truly defeated and unconditionally capitulated – capitulated to the truth of life.
This is the main summary of the past year. And he makes us think again about the role of illusions and truth in the midst of a great war.
Someone believes that even the bitterest truth is better than a convenient and comfortable illusion. Because the truth does not allow you to break away from reality. The sooner you give up your illusions and accept the uncomfortable truth, the better for you. Then your chances are higher to adapt to military realities in time, prepare for adverse scenarios and find the best possible solutions.
And others are sure that illusion is a powerful psychological weapon, indispensable during war. The illusion raises the morale of the population. Illusion gives people strength for further struggle. Illusion inspires fighters on the front lines and supports civilians in the rear. The longer one manages to remain under the sway of illusions, the better for the warring country.
But, as we were able to see, sooner or later the truth still takes its toll. The later an epiphany occurs, the crueler this unspoken truth turns out to be for millions of people. And, unfortunately, the year 2025 proved it with all the obviousness.
Mykhailo Dubynyanskyi, for UP