“First of all, it’s a question of people. Secondly, it’s a question of fairness. It’s a question of defense capability. And it’s a question of finances,” (VOA News, 19 December 2023). The statement made by Ukrainian President V. Zelensky pertains to a proposal designed to advance the stagnant military situation. Accordingly, Kiev is considering the deployment of an extra 500,000 Ukrainians to the military (Reuters, 20 December 2023). Considering that the war between Russia and Ukraine has reached a stalemate, I asked questions about this new proposal of Ukraine and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s (OCU) decision to change the Christmas date to Soli Özel, who is a lecturer at Kadir Has University and a writer for Politik Yol.
ÖZELGÜN: How should we interpret the Ukrainian army’s desire to mobilize 500 thousand more people within the scope of the Russia-Ukraine war? Do you think a total Ukrainian army of 1 million soldiers is enough for Kiev to liberate its occupied lands?
ÖZEL: It is probably doubtful that Ukraine can mobilize 500 thousand more of its citizens for the war effort. Numerous reports suggested that the prime-fighting-age population between 18 and 30 shrank considerably, and there is not much enthusiasm in the remaining population to join the military. Ukraine cannot compete with Russia in numbers. Accordingly, 1 million troops will not be enough to liberate all the occupied Ukrainian territory. For most commentators, this is not a realisable goal, no matter what.
ÖZELGÜN: According to Putin’s recent statement, “Russia’s war objectives are unchanged” (BBC, 14.12.2023). Putin has stressed “denazification, demilitarization, and Ukraine’s neutral status” from the start of the Russian occupation. How can we understand that the aspirations are still unchanged in the present?
ÖZEL: Putin believes that he now has the upper hand because the Ukrainian counteroffensive did not succeed in liberating much territory and it also cost huge troop losses. He has weathered a mutiny, killed the leader of the mutineers, his population is quiet, he is not challenged by the elite and has a comfortable grip over the quiescent and unquestioning Russian population. He is also eagerly waiting for the results of the American presidential elections. A Trump victory will be more than welcome and he expects that this will lead to a cutoff of aid and a settlement with terms favorable to Moscow.
ÖZELGÜN: According to BBC, “The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), a newly created independent church that held its first service in 2019, has also changed its Christmas date to 25 December” (25 December 2023). How should we interpret the decision of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine?
ÖZEL: The Ukrainian Orthodox Church gained its independence by a decision of the ecumenical patriarch in Istanbul. This was an obvious political move on the part of the patriarchate. The fact that it has now chosen to celebrate Christmas on December 25th is another indication that Ukraine wishes to align itself in all spheres with European countries to its West.
References
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67711802 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67816987
Weltschau 
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