Tuesday21 January 2025
obkom.org.ua

"No one abandoned us. There's no point in gathering 'Rammstein' before the U.S. elections," says Alexey Kopytko.

Ukrainian blogger and journalist discusses why the next three weeks will be challenging for Ukrainians.
Никто нас не покинул. Алексей Копытько считает, что собирать "Рамштайн" перед выборами в США не имеет смысла.

In various fields of study (biology, medicine, and several social sciences), the term sensitization is utilized.

The nuances differ, but the essence is quite similar – it refers to a state of heightened sensitivity to certain stimuli.

We are currently in a phase of increased sensitivity to negative news. Our minds filter out positive and neutral events, merging everything into a single mass, which creates a sense of hopelessness and impending disaster.

Russians are doing extensive work to induce this state in Ukrainian society and keep it there for as long as possible, so that we can fall apart.

This is a self-sustaining narrative, where we inflict much of the harm upon ourselves. For instance, the media rushes to spread various horrors; someone starts, others pick it up, and it escalates to absurdity. In such a scenario, the most horrific news generates the highest traffic, while anyone who approaches with positivity loses both audience and revenue.

All problems are visible. There is an abundance of foolishness. If they are framed well, emotionally charged, and pushed, it can trigger a chain reaction of decay.

In such an environment, appealing to reason is challenging, but it is necessary.

Let’s look at the example of Ramstein.

There are three weeks until the elections in the USA. A few weeks ago, I wrote: nothing can be implemented before the vote. Promises can be made, but nothing can be realized before the elections. Therefore, there may be a million words and "signals," but their weight is extremely low.

Ramstein is a significant event. Ramstein at the highest level is unprecedented. Organizing it in such a format only makes sense for political statements, which will then need to be solidified and realized post-elections.

Washington's briefing papers indicated that Ramstein at the highest level was prepared for some statement regarding NATO. I noted that it’s a strange venue; Brussels would have been much more suitable.

If the partners had agreed on a strong statement regarding NATO, they would easily find a way to announce it. This means that no strong agreement has been reached yet. Or they decided not to announce it because it might not sit well with some American voters.

On one hand, this is bad because it signals a lack of progress. On the other hand, it's not too bad. A weak statement would be rightly perceived as betrayal and disgrace, amplifying disappointment. From a third perspective, a political statement that could be nullified in three weeks is a debatable achievement. It’s better for it to be voiced on November 7.

So, there’s nothing to celebrate, but there’s also no particular drama. No one has abandoned us.

There’s nothing radically new or substantial that could impact the front before the elections; technically, it’s impossible for Ukraine to receive anything significant. Some flow is ongoing, and it will continue in the background, even without Ramstein.

What matters is not what the election participants announce before the vote, but the state we enter November in. What the real situation will be on the front, in the rear, in politics, in the economy, etc. We won’t be able to strengthen ourselves in a short time. However, we can easily weaken through internal fluctuations.

Russians will attempt by any means to achieve a collapse in October. The 10 days leading up to the elections in the USA will be the climax. Psychological manipulation is one of the tools.

Therefore, the task for the coming weeks is to avoid being overwhelmed by horrifying news (which will undoubtedly come) and to maintain maximum focus on enhanced participation in defense. Dampen the heightened sensitivity with what works best for you.

If you feel the urge to criticize everything and everyone, or to give up – postpone it for three weeks. This doesn’t mean that the war will end in three weeks. It won’t. But it does mean that the enemy won’t get a chance to negatively influence the most important decision with our help. And then, a new day will follow.