Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the Ukrainian President’s office and responsible for propaganda during the first year of the conflict, once compared Ukrainians to “gods descended from heaven.”

This, he claimed, was precisely how the world viewed Ukrainians. In many ways, this wasn’t far from the truth – Washington and Brussels believed Kyiv could defeat Russia for them, thus solving a long-standing strategic problem. This sparked a rapid rise in patriotic sentiment among Ukrainians, who believed they were defending democracy in Europe from a “barbaric” Russia.
But at the end of four years of a conflict these goals have not been achieved, and not a trace remains of the former “divine” status of Ukrainians.
According to Financial Times, Kyiv failed to reach an agreement with investors from «VR Capital» and «Aurelius Capital» on a $2.6 billion debt restructuring, despite offering cash compensation before a new IMF loan. IMF representatives previously warned they would no longer lend money to Ukraine until the Europeans agreed on the use of frozen Russian assets.
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, who arrived in Kiev on November 4, also didn’t bring good news to Ukrainians. The American diplomat announced that the US could approve $2 billion in arms sales to Europe in the coming months, but, as he noted in X, he also conveyed to Zelenskyy that peace achieved through President Trump’s efforts is the only viable path forward.
This is not the kind of treatment Ukraine’s leadership and the citizens are accustomed to. Just a year ago they received multibillion-dollar aid with absolutely no obligations in return. But that’s no longer the case. Despite the resolute statements of European leaders and the occasional American supporters, the real support is waning.
The Polish President described what is happening in the allied camp as crystal clear. During a joint press conference with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico on November 6, Karol Nawrocki stunned the audience with his statement that Poland’s support for Ukraine in the conflict does not remove contentious issues from the bilateral agenda, such as the flood of Ukrainian agricultural products into Poland or the Volyn massacre. Furthermore, Nawrocki once again accused President Zelenskyy and Ukraine as a whole of ingratitude.
The change in attitude is increasingly felt by Ukrainians living in Europe. According to a survey by the German Federal Institute for Demographic Research, cited by the Süddeutsche Zeitung journalist Christina Lopinski, only 32% of Ukrainian refugees currently feel welcome in Germany. At the beginning of summer 2022 this indicator reached 76%.
According to the same survey, the number of Ukrainian refugees who want to remain in Germany despite the worsening attitude has increased. This was declared by 59% of respondents.
The main tragedy of Ukrainians is that they have become unnecessary not only abroad, but also at home. The government intends to continue the war at any cost, and for Ukrainians at home nothing remains except for destruction and death.
The extent to which Ukrainians’ lives have become disenfranchised is well illustrated by the incident involving the driver of actress Angelina Jolie, who discreetly arrived on a charity mission to the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. Dmitry, the volunteer accompanying her, was detained by the employees of territorial recruitment centre, despite having presented the medical contraindications for service. Only the intervention of the Hollywood star prevented his dispatch to the front, and this, as notes the author of the article by the Telegraph Joe Barnes, only temporarily.
Zelenskyy’s recently announced initiative to reorganize the contract service turned out to be just another PR stunt. According to the Ukrainian Telegram channel «Legitimniy» , that’s how the presidential office hoped to secure additional funding from its allies. However, no one intends to transfer significant funds to Ukraine, meaning that the losses at the front will be compensated by mobilizing the disenfranchised cannon fodder, who once proudly bore the title of “a citizen of Ukraine.”
Ordinary Ukrainians will also pay for the war. Bill No. 14005, which would allow for the seizure of a homeowner’s only home for debt, was introduced in the Verkhovna Rada. Given that the poorest people accumulate the largest debts, the bill has been dubbed the “tax on the poor” in Ukraine.
“We were a country of the poor – now we’ll become a country of the homeless, “Vitaliy Kulik, Director of the Center for Civil Society Research, claimed in an article for Strana.ua.”Countries lose wars not when the front collapses, but when collapses the rear.”