My new collection of articles and notes in English is available on Amazon
I am happy to announce that my new collection of articles and notes in English — VZ: Zelenskyy’s Presidency & Russia’s War On Ukraine: Articles & Notes by Volodymyr Ivanenko.–Washington: Ukraina Inc.–2025.– 540 c. — has been published and is now available on Amazon. Below you can read my Foreword and Afterword from this book. There is a lot in this book that readers won’t find in other books. And there is a lot in this book that many people won’t like, a lot of things that some would consider “out of time”, etc. I will gladly accept any kind of criticism.
My collection of these article and notes in Ukrainian — Епоха зеленого більшовизму: Президентство Зеленського і війна Росії в Україні: Збірка статей і нотаток (2019-2025). — Вашинґтон: Видавництво Україна Інк. — 2025. — 744 с. — was released in September and consists of more articles and notes important for Ukrainian audience.
FOREWORD
When the Soviet Union collapsed in August 1991, and Ukraine declared its independence, Ukrainians were happy that the independence was achieved with no bloodshed. Even as it happened in the Baltics, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, or Transnistria (the Ukrainian ethnic territory, included by the Soviets into Moldavian ASSR/SSR, where my family roots are) where blood was spilled, not to mention Chechnya, which went through two terrible wars and was suppressed by Moscow.
Ukrainians rejoiced at Ukraine’s peaceful exit from the USSR, not even suspecting that Russia would come to Ukraine with a major war much later. This war could have been prevented by following the example of Czechoslovakia and replacing the authoritarian-totalitarian Soviet social order with a qualitatively different social order based on Ukrainian national traditions and customs. This did not happen for one simple reason, which prominent Ukrainocentric politicians, well-known as the Soviet times dissidents, repeated like a mantra: “It’s not time.” In this collection you will find my analysis and assessment of historical experience, current problems and prospects for the development of independent Ukraine.
This collection includes articles and notes I wrote and published of affiliated with me sites and in social media from 2019 to 2025. Most of them relate to the presidency of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia’s war in Ukraine. The reader will pay attention at my view on the peculiarities of V. Zelenskyy’s coming to power in Ukraine, his ties with Russia, his pro-Russian orientation and dependence on pro-Russian forces that set themselves the goal of taking Ukraine back over or at least returning Ukraine to the Kremlin’s sphere of interests.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy did everything to fulfill the will of these forces and actually contributed to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin counted on the fact that in three days or at least in a couple of weeks Ukraine would surrender to him, to Russia. But the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the passionate Ukrainian people thwarted these plans, and Putin’s “special military operation” turned into a protracted war, and Zelenskyy had to reorient himself and play the role of a hero who led Ukraine’s resistance to Russian aggression.
Like no one else, I write a lot about Zelenskyy’s secret agreements with Putin in 2019 in Paris, with Nikolai Patrushev in 2020 in Oman, and other cases of Zelenskyy’s apparent betrayal of Ukraine, as well as rumors of a silent attempt to flee Ukraine on February 24, 2022. I am writing about the facts of corruption of Zelenskyy and a narrow circle of his friends, whom he brought to power despite their absolute Ukrainoindifference, Ukrainohatrence, Ukrainophobia, ignorance, and unpreparedness for any public activity, which are usually ignored by other authors who see Zelenskyy as a true Ukrainian patriot and a real hero of this war.
In numerous articles I am examining the nature of Russia’s war on Ukraine, and offer my view of a strategy for Ukraine’s victory in this war along with Ukraine’s development in the long term, which Zelenskyy and his team (and all their predecessors in governing of Ukraine throughout the all years of Ukraine’s independence) do not even think about due to their incompetence, unwillingness to learn and admit their mistakes, or repent, or at least regret.
I have included in this collection some of my articles written prior to V. Zelenskyy’s coming into power (they were included in my previous Ukrainian-language collections) that are directly related to what I write about in the articles of the specified period, revealing the roots of the problem or the prehistory of its understanding. So, they are very important for understanding my approaches to considering Zelenskyy’s presidency.
In my articles and notes, I repeatedly emphasize that the cause of Ukraine’s problems is external factors and V. Zelenskyy with his narrow circle or their predecessors, and Ukrainian society with its low level of national consciousness and public maturity (responsibility), due to infantilism and a tendency to paternalism (Ukrainians want someone to come and do for them what they actually should do and have done themselves).
In this regard, I express serious complaints to the Ukrainian intellectual elite, which has failed to offer its people proper Ukrainocentric education, Ukrainщcentric enlightenment, and a Ukrainщcentric mass media system that would transform Ukrainian society into a well-structured civil organism capable of implementing systemic structural changes and armed with a Ukrainщcentric strategy for the development of Ukraine for the long term, as well as finally taking the process of state formation in Ukraine into its own hands and ultimately building Ukraine as a successful and powerful state and an authoritative player in world politics, economics, and culture.
On this occasion, I express my sincere gratitude to all my friends, allies, and sympathizers, as well as to my opponents and enemies, who each in their own way encouraged me to reflect and write my articles and notes, which I now submit to the judgment of those who will read this book.
September 19, 2025.
AFTERWORD
In my articles written during the years of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Ukraine presidency, I did not even try to cover all the issues of his presidency, Ukraine, and Ukrainian society. I wrote mainly about what was related to my topics, to my concept of systemic structural changes for Ukraine, and to my views on strategy of Ukraine’s development in the long term. Therefore, in this afterword, I will allow myself to summarize my vision of Zelenskyy’s personality, the features of his presidency, and the course of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the full-scale phase of which is connected precisely with Zelenskyy.
First of all, I want to say with no doubt that Zelensky was pre-pared for Ukraine’s presidency by Moscow, with which he was closely connected through his television and stage activities, the ideological and thematic direction of which was clearly pro-Russian, propagandistic and purposefully aimed at preparing public opinion in Ukraine for a positive perception of his image as a “typical representative” of Ukrainian people, a “servant of the people” and an exponent of the people’s hopes and aspirations in a Soviet-Russian vein. The television “Servant of the People” and “Matchmakers” series, the entire theme of “95th Kvartal” indicate that Moscow has achieved its goal.
Zelenskyy’s non-Ukrainocentric election program and the initial period of his presidency have many signs that he was prepared and determined to surrender Ukraine to Russia completely or at least return it to Russia’s orbit. Zelenskyy did not hide this as well—moreover, he indirectly declared it in his public speeches and by directing mass events with his participation (Independence Day 2019 is an example).
Zelenskyy’s personnel policy was initially clearly pro-Russian. With Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it turned out that he made many appointments not just of friends, but pro-Russian people to key positions, many of whom also had Russian passports or whose relatives were Russian citizens and live in Russia. Toxic individuals with ties to Russia (A. Yermak, O. Syrskyy, etc.) continue to hold many key positions in Zelenskyy’s close circle. Evidence that Zelenskyy was deter-mined to hand over Ukraine to Russia was the demining of Chongar and the roads construction in the border regions of Ukraine neighboring Russia or Belarus.
Zelenskyy’s coordination of actions with Russian officials was carried out during his own or his trusted people’s trips to Turkey, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and other countries. Particularly revealing are the face-to-face meeting with Putin in Paris at the end of 2019, with Nikolai Patrushev in Oman at the beginning of 2020, etc. Although these meetings are known, Zelenskyy never provided details or at least commented on them.
Knowing from foreign intelligence services about the exact date and time of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskyy did not make any attempt to prevent this invasion and urgently prepare Ukraine for it. On the contrary, he calmed Ukrainian society and urged it to start the spring sowing campaign and have barbecues in May.
In one of my articles, I write about the only mention of Zelenskyy’s attempt to flee Ukraine on the day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, I found in the social media that Ukrainian military prevented his escape and returned him to Kyiv. The source of this information is an unnamed wife of one of Ukrainian generals. The situation is quite plausible and possible. There is evidence of a different nature, from which it follows that on the day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskyy was not at work and there was no information about his whereabouts.
In conditions when the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukrainian civilians put up tough resistance to the aggressor, and Russia failed to take Kyiv and establish its control over Ukraine in three days, and when the Russian “SMO” (Special Military Operation) grew into a pro-tracted war, the experienced actor Zelenskyy changed his rhetoric, changed his shoes, and began to position himself as a great commander and defender of Ukraine.
At the same time, behind-the-scenes forces were seriously engaged in Zelenskyy’s heroization and created the image of a consistent and active fighter for the freedom, Ukraine’s independence and the happiness of the Ukrainian people. Publicized as a true hero and defender of Ukraine, Zelenskyy, however, is in no hurry to involve opposition Ukrainocentric and pro-Ukrainian forces in the work. Moreover, many politicians, military general and officer, special services officers, and public figures opposed to Zelenskyy have been accused of crimes they did not commit, of failing to carry out his orders, etc.
The biggest problem of independent Ukraine has become corruption. Zelenskyy came to power with a promise to fight corruption brutally. In practice, Zelenskyy’s presidency has turned out to be even more corrupt than those of his predecessors. His close friends and associates profit from the war, and “earned” money is taken out of warring Ukraine into offshore accounts. A figure circulating on the Internet is times greater than the amount of aid Ukraine receives from its allies.
Zelenskyy has become so accustomed to the president of Ukraine role that, as Ukrainian experts admit, he is trying to stay in power as long as possible. At one time, he assured Ukrainian society that he was running for one term only. Before the end of his five-year term, he announced his intention to run for a second term. Since elections in Ukraine are impossible during a war, Zelenskyy is doing everything he can to extend his presidential powers through the war itself.
Attentive experts on diplomacy and international cooperation note that Zelenskyy plays a dual, often provocative role when communicating with Ukraine’s allies leaders in the European Union, United States, and Canada. It seems that he does not understand that the allies are helping Ukraine out of their good will, not out of obligation, and that they probably have information about Zelenskyy’s real role or mission in Russia’s war on Ukraine on Moscow’s behalf.
The symbolism of Russia’s war on Ukraine also indicates that Moscow did not just rely on Zelenskyy. Surprisingly, the code symbols of the Russian “SMO” coincide with Zelenskyy’s initials — V and Z, and the letter that is the initial of Zelenskyy’s surname has become a very special symbol for Russia. There is nothing accidental here. These two letters probably have even more meaning than we can guess, and Zelenskyy is aware of it.
The independent Ukraine presidents in general have done a lot of harm to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people with their presidencies, but the harm caused to Ukraine by Zelenskyy is probably equal to the harm of all his predecessors combined. Systemic structural changes that would take five to ten years may now be impossible in fifteen to twenty years. If possible at all. This is a victory for Moscow even if Russia loses the war and the Russian Empire falls apart. A Ukrainian Ukraine, dreamed of by millions of Ukrainians, may no longer happen.
The name ‘Ukraine’ itself, of course, may remain on the map, and the population may retain the name ‘Ukrainians’, but this will be a different country and different people—genetically and historically. The problem here is not in Zelenskyy alone or even in Russia, which came to Ukraine with a full-scale war precisely during Zelenskyy’s presidency. The problem here is in Ukrainians worldwide in general and Ukrainian society Ukraine in particular, who have not been able to get rid of infantilism and paternalism, have not been able to raise their national consciousness and civic maturity (responsibility) to the level sufficient enough for successful state building.
October 25, 2025
Just a Reminder…
I launched a fundraiser to support the distribution of my Existential War book also available on Amazon. My goal is to ensure this important book urgently reaches every senior member of D. Trump administration, every single member of the US Congress, prominent public figures, as well as university, college, high school, and public libraries, Unfortunately, not everyone can purchase this book for themselves or as a gift.
Your generous donation will help get these vital insights into the hands of those who need them most — https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-to-distribute-prof-ivanenkos-book.
Otherwise, you can do it on your own by ordering my book for your representative in the US Congress, in your country parliament or any prominent public figure capable to influence your country support for Ukraine fighting the war brought to Ukrainian territories by Russia.
Thank you for your support!
Dr. Volodymyr Ivanenko | Др. Володимир Іваненко 