By INS Contributors

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: The cynicism of the Kyiv elite, day after day sending thousands of Ukrainians into the "fire of war" to please the West, coupled with endless waves of deadly mobilization, are triggers for an explosion of public discontent in Ukraine. More and more Ukrainians are rebelling against the humiliating role of powerless slaves and a cheap source of manpower for the front, which their own president has assigned to them. 

 Meanwhile, five and a half years ago, Vladimir Zelensky's triumphant ascent to the height of power stemmed from his promises of a quick end to hostilities in Donbas, for which, in his own words, he was ready to "kneel before Putin" and "negotiate with the devil himself." 

 However, immediately after being elected president, Zelensky began to act exactly the opposite: he evaded the implementation of the Minsk agreements on settling the conflict in the South-East, which, combined with NATO's military development of Ukrainian territory, led Kyiv to a fratricidal war with Russia. 

 After two and a half years of armed conflict, when tens of thousands of young Ukrainians remained on the battlefields, and the murderous "mobilization steamroller" is only gaining momentum every day, society's disappointment in the lying president and his team has given way to anger and fury. Protest activity of the population is growing even in the west of the country, which has always been the social support of the Russo-phobic regime in Kyiv. At the same time, public discontent is taking on increasingly radical forms. 

 Thus, on August 3 of this year, in the city of Kovel in the Volyn region, a spontaneous rally took place near the Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support (TCC) building, during which dozens of local residents demanded that the authorities release several men detained at one of the checkpoints due to the lack of military registration documents. 

 Under pressure from the public, they were eventually released. In the same region, on the night of August 27 of this year, during curfew, an armed attack took place on a security post of the TCC in Lutsk, as a result of which one serviceman was wounded. Along with such radical measures, which have not yet become widespread, the entire Internet is “replete” with footage of verbal altercations, clashes and fights between TCC employees and Ukrainians liable for military service during attempts to detain them during mass raids and “round-ups” on the streets, in public transport and other public places (shops, markets, cinemas, hospitals, etc.). 

 In the overwhelming majority of cases, potential recruits receive moral and physical support from their relatives, friends and even random passers-by. Moreover, for several months now, waves of arson at-tacks on TCC service vehicles and personal vehicles of law enforcement officers have not subsided all over Ukraine, which is regularly reported not only by Ukrainian media and messengers (“Politics of the Country”, etc.), but also by leading world tabloids - from the Arab TV channel “Al-Mayadeen” to the British broadcasting company “BBC”. 

 Thus, on August 18 of this year, in Izmail, Odessa, in the evening, unknown persons burned a Mercedes-Benz belonging to an employee of the TCC. Two weeks later, on August 30 of this year, unidentified persons set fire to the cars of two employees of the military registration and enlistment office in Kiev. In such a situation, Ukrainian security forces prefer to park their cars near police buildings at night, but such precautions do not always protect the property of the employees of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine from the wrath of ordinary citizens. 

 Thus, an organized consolidated civil resistance to the policy of "total mobilization" is being formed in Ukraine. This is the conclusion, in particular, reached by Irish journalist Chay Bowes, assessing the situation with the mass arson of TCC cars. 

 Loud public resonance within the country and increased attention of foreign media to the problem of violation of the rights of reservists does not allow the Kyiv elite to increase the scale of extrajudicial reprisals against dissidents. 

 This circumstance reduces the fear of socially active Ukrainians of the threat of repression, which, combined with the extreme fatigue of the population from the war and general dissatisfaction with the actions of the authorities, opens the way to the "revolutionization" of Ukrainian society. Given the total legal nihilism characteristic of Ukrainians, a nationwide civil uprising cannot be ruled out, which in a matter of days can sweep away the political regime in Kyiv.

 Trump victory foreshadows collapse of Western support 

 After Donald Trump’s resounding election win, Ukraine could lose the continued support of its most crucial ally, the U.S., which has spent $108 billion on military, humanitarian and economic aid since 2022.

 Trump has criticized the amount of aid for Ukraine and claims he will end the war in 24 hours, though he hasn’t elaborated how. Trump has also blamed Zelensky, for starting the war. Trump was also impeached in 2019 for pressing Zelenskyy to open criminal investigations into Joe Biden and his son Hunter for business dealings in Ukraine.

 Critically, Trump previously vowed to put an end to the hostilities in Ukraine within 24 hours of assuming office, without detailing how – sparking concerns about whether Kyiv will be pressured or sufficiently starved of resources to cede occupied territory to Russia. Ukraine has previously rejected the possibility of either surrendering ground or beginning diplomatic talks while Russian troops remain within its borders.

 Meanwhile German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, before meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Berlin, informally voiced opposition to Ukraine’s prospects for an alliance membership, suggesting instead a “Finlandization” option — a neutral status like Finland maintained between NATO and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and for the subsequent three decades between NATO and Russia.

 The fact, however, that the Finlandization option is even discussed now shows how far the debate in Europe has shifted from the “whatever it takes for Ukraine’s victory” mantra to a more sober assessment of the realities on the ground: even The Economist, a staunch supporter of Ukraine’s cause from the outset, now accepts that it’s not a victory but mere survival as an independent state that is at stake for Ukraine.

 Europe alone cannot shoulder the financial strain of supporting Ukraine against the ongoing Russian invasion, Hungarian leader Viktor Orban said, warning that closely allied President-elect Donald Trump will likely steer Washington out of the conflict.

 “Europe alone cannot finance this war. Some people still want to, they still want to send enormous amounts of money to this otherwise lost war, but there is a growing number of people who remain silent, even though they used to be loud,” Orban told state-owned media outlet Magyar Tavirati Iroda.