Zaluzhny Kaput

Dances With Bears ^ | 28 Mar 23 | John Helmer

[delta7]

The man in the frame is General Valery Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

There are no insignia on his jacket, zipped tight to his chin. His torso and legs are concealed beneath the desk which also accommodates a computer screen without keyboard or mouse; and a pen held between the general’s right thumb and index finger, upside down and useless. Patriotic slogans have been pasted to the wall. A wall socket accommodates a thick communications cable routed along the base of the wall, but not visibly connected to the two telephones. There are ten unopened water bottles on display, six plastic cups. A single piece of paper on the desk reveals no date. The general is able to say a dozen scripted words and raise his left hand.

He is not dead from the Russian missile attack which had caused his disappearance until this video clip was published on Thursday evening to dispel what the Ukrainian introducer called the mystery and the Russian propaganda of Zaluzhny’s death. The clip proves the opposite of this intention. The general is visibly unwell and is no longer capable of commanding the Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian production of the Zaluzhny cameo was published on the Telegram account of the Russian war news aggregator, Rybar; the 35-second video was originally displayed at 21:59 on May 25. https://t.me/s/rybar

The Rybar team commented: “Such strange behaviour of the responsible persons cannot but suggest that the rumours about the injury of Zaluzhny really do have grounds. This explains his almost month-long absence from the media field: apparently, in order to appear in public, he needed to heal at least some of his injuries. There is no special point in speculating about the current capabilities of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces to manage troops now: in the end, there is no objective information yet about Zaluzhny’s state of health. But we can say one thing – in the event of failures of the enemy’s armed forces, there will definitely be talk that the reason for the failures was an incapacitated general. Who, even after a serious injury, was left in office solely for political and media reasons.” Twenty-two hours earlier, on the evening of May 24, Rybar picked up a Ukrainian attempt to make Zaluzhny appear much healthier. In that picture, an adviser to the command staff, Alyona Shevtsova, is shown with the general. However, investigation of the details of the photograph reveals it was taken at an official press opportunity on May 2, just before Zaluzhny disappeared.

Source: Rybar Telegram, May 24, 23:27. The watch on Zaluzhny’s right wrist appears to be missing from his appearance in the video of May 25. The significance of Zaluzhny’s month-long disappearance, and of this week’s Ukrainian efforts to restore his visibility is that if the commander-in-chief can be targeted by accurate Russian intelligence, followed by missile or drone attack, then no Ukrainian soldier, from private to general, is safe at any location in the country.

The incident also raises the question of why the US and NATO are protecting the Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky outside the Ukraine more effectively than they are capable of doing for Zaluzhny and his staff inside. In the past week, for example, Zelensky has been photographed disembarking in Japan from a French presidential jet. Domestically in the Ukraine, the disparity of sacrifice is all too obvious, as is the steady collapse of security for the regime in the west of the country no less than on the front in east.

This collapse is the subject of a dramatic new statement by Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and currently deputy head of the Security Council. This was published at 21:36 on May 25. For the first time a senior Russian official declared that the strategic objective of the war has now become the elimination of the Ukraine as a sovereign state, and its replacement by Russia in the east, Poland and Hungary in the west, with the possibility of a demilitarized zone in between the two.

“I recently wrote why Ukraine will disappear,” Medvedev announced. “Now it’s time to say how Ukraine will disappear, and also what will then be the risk of a resumption of the war in Europe and in the rest of the world. This will depend on which path the process of disintegration of this dying state will take as a result of the lost military conflict. There are two of them. One is the path of relatively slow erosion of Ukrainian statehood with the gradual loss of the remaining elements of state sovereignty. Alternatively, there is the path of its swift collapse with simultaneous annihilation of all signs of statehood.”

“In any case, after such a collapse, three possible scenarios are likely. In the first scenario, the western regions of Ukraine would come under the control of a number of EU states with a subsequent ‘anschluss’ [annexation] of these lands by the receiving states. At the same time, a certain ‘no-man’s-land’ would remain Ukrainian territory, squeezed between Russia and the territories which have passed under the sovereignty of a number of European countries. This remaining ownerless territory would declare its secession from the former Ukraine with its own international legal personality and with its intention to return the lost lands by all means. Naturally, this refers only to those lands which have become part of Russia. At the same time, this ‘new’ Ukraine would immediately declare its desire to join the European Union and NATO, which could happen in the medium term. The armed conflict would resume after a short time, turning into a permanent war and with the threat of its rapid escalation into a full-fledged third World War.”

“Second scenario: Ukraine disappears after it has completely dissolved in the process of its division between Russia and a number of the EU states. A government of Ukraine would then be formed in exile in one of the European countries. The war would end with reasonable guarantees of its non-renewal in the near future, but with thepreservation of the terrorist activity of the Ukrainian Nazis; they will be dispersed over the territory of the EU states which have received Western Ukrainian lands. In this case, the risk of the resumption of a full-fledged conflict or its escalation into a world war can be considered moderate.”

“Third scenario: the same thing happens as in the first case but taking the opposite direction. The western lands of Ukraine are joining a number of EU countries. The people of the central and some other ownerless regions of Ukraine, within the framework of Article 1 of the UN Charter, immediately declare their self-determination by joining the Russian Federation. This request is granted, and the war would end with sufficient guarantees of its non-renewal in the long term. There are simply no other options. And this is already clear to everyone, even if it is unpleasant for someone out there in the West to admit it.”

We may be temporarily satisfied with the second option, but we need a third one.”

Several hours after Medvedev published his statement, he participated (left image, centre) in the weekly session of the Security Council chaired by President Putin. According to the Kremlin communiqué, the only agenda item discused was “additional social guarantees for participants in the special military operation and their family members.”

Listen to the broadcast for more detail and the discussion.

In the final segment of the broadcast, the breaking news is analysed of the abrupt change of mission for the US Navy aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford and its flotilla, and their deployment to Oslo, Norway, and then north and east above the Arctic Circle. When the Gerald Ford left its Norfolk, Virginia, base on May 2, the Navy announced it was heading to the Mediterranean as the replacement for the USS George H.W. Bush.

According to the official releases, this was the first operational deployment of the Gerald Ford with a full complement of aircraft on board. “Defense officials have told USNI News that Ford will continue the consistent carrier presence in the Mediterranean Sea, which the U.S. began in December 2021 ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. ‘Our presence at sea throughout the deployment will provide reassurance to our allies and partners that sea lanes will remain open, and our joint operations will demonstrate our commitment to interoperability and maritime stability,’ Rear Admiral Greg Huffman, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 12, said in a Navy news release.”

The Navy changed direction. On May 24, the Gerald Ford and its escorts docked in Oslo for what local media reported to be the first such carrier portcall in Norway in 65 years.

The Norwegian defense minister announced: “this is the concrete expression of our close relationship with the United States and demonstrates the will for collective defence and deterrence”. The Norwegian press also reported that the US carrier group would sail northeast over the Arctic Circle to join aircraft and vessels from several NATO countries for the start of the Arctic Challenge Exercise on May 29. The NATO announcement of this exercise appeared on May 25. It identified the locations of the exercise and listed NATO state aircraft participating. There was no mention of the participation of the Gerald Ford. A Finnish Air Force announcement also omitted reference to the US Navy flotilla.

According to the operational maps published so far, the exercise area of Norway, Sweden, and Finland is in the Norway and Barents Seas, more than one thousand kilometres northeast of St. Petersburg.

A Russian statement on the new carrier force deployment called it “illogical and harmful. There are no issues in the North that require a military solution,nor issues that require outside intervention,” the Russian Embassy published on its Twitter account. There has been no response from Moscow to date.

Responding to these developments, a Moscow security analyst comments: “Let’s say the Americans despite all these military warnings and threats do nothing, and stick to supplying newer, and what they think are better weapons and systems. At the same time the Ukrainians continue their random cross-border raids, and on the Donbass front try a major push in this or that direction. The Russians will do what in response? Wait until the winter and in the meantime intensify the targeting of the electricity infrastructure and the weapons and fuel storages?

“If Russians can keep the toll high enough through this warfare, there has to be a tipping point for a country of now less than 20 million that it cannot keep up. And then the big question will be, Who gives? Will Zelensky be usurped by the neo-Nazis and Poles and Hungarians who will stop the fighting for the sake of Donbass and to keep their Anschluss with the motherlands? To me, this looks like a very workable strategy for doing nothing except very targeted strikes for a whole year or two. “

“With Germany now in recession, the UK most likely to follow, and then Italy and France not far behind, there will be a very significant depletion of public support for war and the tide will rise against Ukrainians refugees. That means Russia has to keep the war going for a couple of years because sanctions won’t ease, but it does not have to make human sacrifices to win. There is no need to rush it.”

[delta7]

So, there we have it. When does the carving up of Ukraine begin?…under what pretexts….and just who will regain their historic lands, Poland? Romania? Hungary?

One thing we do know- Vlad is never, ever giving up his “ new” Russian provinces.

[Steven Tyler]

Past Leaders of the Soviet Union added parts of Russia to Ukraine for political necessities.

Now, cause Nazi’s got ahold of the Uke levers of power, Russia takes back what was always theirs

[Williams]

You know exactly, zip.
I love the disgusting Russia propagandists who tell us exactly what definitely for sure guaranteed will happen or never happen.

This is the article where Medvedev says the war will go on for years. With Ukraine? Incredible.

And as for when will Ukraine fall apart, Prigozhin believes it’s Russia that may disintegrate as a result of this war.

[Williams]

And luckily Russia has a few mindless dupes to publish that nonsense here.

Yeah it’s the Nazis. And don’t forget the homos.
/s

[JonPreston]

I love the disgusting Russia propagandists

Hate and name calling will not help those who celebrate endless war.

[sauropod]

.

[delta7]

Now, cause Nazi’s got ahold of the Uke levers of power, Russia takes back what was always theirs
———-
Agreed. Probably the most interesting fact is Ukraine’s current population, verified by many east and western sources: 20 million. The EU states they have near 8 million plus inside their borders, Russia confirmed 3-3.5 million ethnic Russians have returned to Russia, ….western demographic studies state about 22 million left in Ukraine.

The point, they have been depopulated from their pre- war population of 40 million. Add to that their entire male population of 18-60 year olds have been decimated….how does a country with those numbers ever recover? They don’t.

[Jim Noble]

The simplest thing in the short run is for Russia to renounce Stalin’s annexations at Yalta (Lemberg and its hinterlands belong in the EU, whether as part of Austria, Poland or as an independent West Ukraine). The advantage of giving Lemberg/Lwów to Poland would be to accompany it with a reminder that there were other unjust annexations at the same time which could be re-visited in the future.

[dfwgator]

Or just have Western Ukraine declare itself as “The Republic of Ruthenia”, with L’viv as the capital.

[JonPreston]

Looks like a genocide

• The current population of Ukraine is 42,974,625 as of Sunday, May 28, 2023, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data.
• Ukraine 2020 population is estimated at 43,733,762 people at mid year according to UN data.
• Ukraine population is equivalent to 0.56% of the total world population.
• Ukraine ranks number 35 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.
• The population density in Ukraine is 75 per Km² (196 people per mi²).
• The total land area is 579,320 Km2 (223,677 sq. miles)
• 69.4 % of the population is urban (30,334,632 people in 2020)
• The median age in Ukraine is 41.2 years.

Population of Ukraine (2020 and historical)

Year	Population	Yearly % Change	Yearly Change	Migrants (net)	Median Age	Fertility Rate	Density (P/Km²)	Urban Pop %	Urban Population	Country's Share of World Pop	World Population	Ukraine Global Rank
2020	43,733,762	-0.59 %	-259,876	10,000	41.2	1.44	75	69.4 %	30,334,632	0.56 %	7,794,798,739	35
2019	43,993,638	-0.57 %	-252,518	10,000	40.2	1.48	76	69.2 %	30,425,950	0.57 %	7,713,468,100	33
2018	44,246,156	-0.54 %	-241,553	10,000	40.2	1.48	76	69.0 %	30,521,470	0.58 %	7,631,091,040	32
2017	44,487,709	-0.51 %	-225,993	10,000	40.2	1.48	77	68.8 %	30,622,539	0.59 %	7,547,858,925	31
2016	44,713,702	-0.46 %	-207,937	10,000	40.2	1.48	77	68.7 %	30,730,872	0.60 %	7,464,022,049	31
2015	44,921,639	-0.38 %	-174,090	26,431	40.0	1.49	78	68.7 %	30,840,974	0.61 %	7,379,797,139	31
2010	45,792,090	-0.47 %	-219,736	53,908	39.5	1.38	79	68.6 %	31,411,663	0.66 %	6,956,823,603	28
2005	46,890,772	-0.81 %	-389,459	-33,089	39.1	1.15	81	67.8 %	31,788,197	0.72 %	6,541,907,027	27
2000	48,838,065	-0.83 %	-413,144	-92,453	37.8	1.24	84	67.1 %	32,793,567	0.79 %	6,143,493,823	23
1995	50,903,785	-0.22 %	-111,864	14,884	36.4	1.62	88	67.0 %	34,081,946	0.89 %	5,744,212,979	23
1990	51,463,105	0.21 %	108,766	0	35.3	1.95	89	66.8 %	34,356,066	0.97 %	5,327,231,061	22
1985	50,919,275	0.38 %	190,680	37,818	34.0	2.00	88	64.7 %	32,935,869	1.05 %	4,870,921,740	19
1980	49,965,874	0.49 %	242,042	20,877	33.5	1.98	86	61.7 %	30,827,293	1.12 %	4,458,003,514	17
1975	48,755,665	0.70 %	333,362	41,241	33.3	2.08	84	58.4 %	28,469,686	1.20 %	4,079,480,606	16
1970	47,088,857	0.79 %	364,862	53,753	32.0	2.02	81	54.8 %	25,817,971	1.27 %	3,700,437,046	16
1965	45,264,548	1.19 %	519,979	91,154	29.8	2.13	78	50.6 %	22,924,810	1.36 %	3,339,583,597	15
1960	42,664,652	1.29 %	529,032	-64,464	28.9	2.70	74	46.8 %	19,962,621	1.41 %	3,034,949,748	15
1955	40,019,491	1.42 %	544,369	8,785	28.3	2.81	69	41.4 %	16,557,439	1.44 %	2,773,019,936	15

Source: Worldometer (www.Worldometers.info)

Elaboration of data by United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision. (Medium-fertility variant).

back to top ↑

Ukraine Population Forecast

0

Year	Population	Yearly % Change	Yearly Change	Migrants (net)	Median Age	Fertility Rate	Density (P/Km²)	Urban Pop %	Urban Population	Country's Share of World Pop	World Population	Ukraine Global Rank
2020	43,733,762	-0.53 %	-237,575	10,000	41.2	1.44	75	69.4 %	30,334,632	0.56 %	7,794,798,739	35
2025	42,338,579	-0.65 %	-279,037	4,000	42.8	1.44	73	70.7 %	29,923,619	0.52 %	8,184,437,460	36
2030	40,882,329	-0.70 %	-291,250	4,000	44.5	1.44	71	72.2 %	29,536,792	0.48 %	8,548,487,400	38
2035	39,425,172	-0.72 %	-291,431	0	46.2	1.44	68	74.1 %	29,198,482	0.44 %	8,887,524,213	44
2040	38,002,489	-0.73 %	-284,537	0	47.3	1.44	66	76.2 %	28,965,081	0.41 %	9,198,847,240	51
2045	36,606,388	-0.75 %	-279,220	0	47.3	1.44	63	78.7 %	28,815,838	0.39 %	9,481,803,274	53
2050	35,219,042	-0.77 %	-277,469		46.6	1.44	61	81.3 %	28,634,407	0.36 %	9,735,033,990	56

Source: Worldometer (www.Worldometers.info)

Elaboration of data by United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision. (Medium-fertility variant).

Ukraine Demographics

Main Page: Demographics of Ukraine

Life Expectancy

72.50 years

(life expectancy at birth, both sexes)
View by sex and historical chart

Infant Mortality

6.0

(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
View historical chart

Deaths under age 5

7.1

(per 1,000 live births)
View historical chart

Main Cities by Population in Ukraine

(includes boroughs, districts, urban agglomerations, etc.)

#	CITY NAME	POPULATION
1	Kyiv	2,797,553
2	Kharkiv	1,430,885
3	Dnipro	1,032,822
4	Donetsk	1,024,700
5	Odessa	1,001,558
6	Zaporizhia	796,217
7	Lviv	717,803
8	Kryvyi Rih	652,380
9	Mykolayiv	510,840
10	Mariupol	481,626
11	Luhansk	452,000
12	Sevastopol	416,263
13	Khmelnytskyi	398,346
14	Makiyivka	376,610
15	Vinnytsia	352,115
16	Simferopol	336,460
17	Kherson	320,477
18	Poltava	317,847
19	Chernihiv	307,684
20	Cherkasy	297,568
21	Sumy	294,456
22	Zhytomyr	282,192
23	Horlivka	278,550
24	Rivne	255,106
25	Kropyvnytskyi	249,454
26	Kamianske	248,575
27	Chernivtsi	236,250
28	Ternopil	235,676
29	Kremenchuk	227,494
30	Lutsk	213,661
31	Ivano-Frankivsk	204,200
32	Bila Tserkva	199,163
33	Kramators'k	173,700
34	Melitopol	158,000
35	Kerch	148,932
36	Nikopol	130,500
37	Syevyerodonets'k	130,000
38	Sloviansk	124,800
39	Berdyansk	118,284
40	Uzhgorod	117,878
41	Alchevs'k	116,000
42	Pavlohrad	115,932
43	Lysychans'k	111,600
44	Yevpatoriya	106,202
45	Yenakiyeve	104,101
46	Oleksandriya	103,000
47	Kamianets-Podilskyi	100,000
48	Konotop	91,798
49	Kostyantynivka	91,259
50	Krasnyy Luch	90,005
51	Brovary	88,506
52	Uman	87,658
53	Berdychiv	86,250
54	Shostka	85,432
55	Kadiyivka	84,425
56	Chervonohrad	83,000
57	Izmayil	82,485
58	Mukacheve	81,633
59	Bakhmut	80,500
60	Drohobych	79,406
61	Yalta	77,003
62	Nizhyn	75,499
63	Novomoskovs'k	73,100
64	Shakhtars'k	71,700
65	Pervomays'k	70,746
66	Feodosiya	68,562
67	Pokrovsk	68,263
68	Chystyakove	68,037
69	Sverdlovs'k	68,000
70	Kalush	67,698

See also

• Demographics of Ukraine
  • Median Age (Historical Chart)
  • Total Fertility Rate (Historical Chart)
  • Urban vs. Rural Population (Historical Chart)
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Ukraine
• Europe Population
• World Population
• World Map
• World Population by Country

back to top ↑

Notes

The Ukraine Population (Live) counter shows a continuously updated estimate of the current population of Ukraine delivered by Worldometer's RTS algorithm, which processes data collected from the United Nations Population Division.

The Population of Ukraine (1950 - 2019) chart plots the total population count as of July 1 of each year, from 1950 to 2019. The Yearly Population Growth Rate chart plots the annual percentage changes in population registered on July 1 of each year, from 1951 to 2019. This value can differ from the Yearly % Change shown in the historical table, which shows the last year equivalent percentage change assuming homogeneous change in the preceding five year period.

Definitions

Year: as of July 1 of the year indicated.

Population: Overall total population (both sexes and all ages) in the country as of July 1 of the year indicated, as estimated by the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision. For forecasted years, the U.N. medium-fertility variant is used. Read More Definitions...

Yearly % Change: For 2019: percentage change in total population over the last year (from July 1, 2018 to June 30 2019). For all other years: latest year annual percentage change equivalent assuming homogeneous change in the preceding five year period, calculated through reverse compounding.

Yearly Change: For 2019: absolute change in total population (increase or decrease in number of people) over the last year (from July 1, 2018 to June 30 2019). For all other years: average annual numerical change over the preceding five year period.

Migrants (net): The average annual number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants over the preceding five year period (running from July 1 to June 30 of the initial and final years), or subsequent five year period (for 2016 data). A negative number means that there are more emigrants than immigrants.

Median Age: age that divides the population into two numerically equal groups: half of the people are older than the median age indicated and half are younger. This parameter provides an indication of age distribution.

Fertility Rate: (Total Fertility Rate, or TFR), it is expressed as children per woman. It is calculated as the average number of children an average woman will have during her reproductive period (15 to 49 years old) based on the current fertility rates of every age group in the country, and assuming she is not subject to mortality.

Density (P/Km²): (Population Density) Population per square Kilometer (Km²).

Urban Pop % : Urban population as a percentage of total population.

Urban Population: Population living in areas classified as urban according to the criteria used by each country.

Country's Share of World Pop: Total population in the country as a percentage of total World Population as of July 1 of the year indicated.

World Population: Total World Population as of July 1 of the year indicated.

Global Rank: Position held by Ukraine in the list of all countries worldwide ranked by population (from the highest population to the lowest population) as of July 1 of the year indicated.

Share This!

about | faq | languages | contact

© Copyright Worldometers.info - All rights reserved - Disclaimer & Privacy Policy

var _qevents = _qevents || []; (function() {

[dennisw]

Vlad Putin is the smirking organ grinder. You are his monkey.

[delta7]

Or just have Western Ukraine declare itself as “The Republic of Ruthenia”, with L’viv as the capital.
————-
The US is funding now 100 percent of Ukraine, all government salaries, military payroll, etc. How long can the US flush billions upon billions of dollars down the Ukie toilet?

Unsustainable. One thing is clearer every day:

Ukraine 1991-2023 RIPThe quicker the better.

[SheepWhisperer]

“I love the disgusting Russia propagandists”

as opposed to the disgusting Ukraine propagandists?

[delta7]

EU and UN demographics say much, much differently.

[bert]

Or not.

Your worries about money are historically trivial

[The Louiswu]

[Williams]

I said I love you disgusting propagandists.

But I am heartened that now you’re publishing articles that Russia will have to fight Ukraine for YEARS.

The new plan. Vlad deserves awards for his incredible years-long commitment to fighting Nazis in other countries. What a hero.

Unlike the propagandists who tell us exactly what definitely will happen, I don’t predict the war.

However, the signs are that Russia actually is losing and that is just amazingly great.

[Williams]

Yes the Russia ones are much worse, but they did reveal that Russia believes it can’t win.

[Williams]

Yeah I’m going to listen to you and base our foreign policy on childish nonsense.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "to renounce Stalin's annexations at Yalta (Lemberg and its hinterlands belong in the EU, whether as part of Austria, Poland or as an independent West Ukraine). The advantage of giving Lemberg/Lwów to Poland would be to accompany it with a reminder that there were other unjust annexations at the same time which could be re-visited in the future."

While we might from time to time disagree on things, I applaud your very fine point. From 1945 and onward through the dissolution of the USSR, until today, borders have changed while those who prefer one border to another argue for some fixed date to say borders must no longer be either in contest or flux. History tells a far different tale.

Personally I think a modern Poland might find "having" Galicia back, if the Azov remnant settle there, would make for a most interesting problem geopolitically.

Recommended source material: https://www.britannica.com/video/135904/history-Poland-borders

and

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv9hj96k.9?seq=6

Additionally, as Yalta's plan was "the earliest possible establishment through free elections governments responsive to the will of the people," it will remain a point of contention whether the Russian-speaking of what has recently been Ukraine actually had that "governments responsive to the will of the people."

For that matter, Yalta -- the Crimea Conference was its other name -- and the Atlantic Charter speak to what is sometimes argued as "self-determination" of a people, whereas such "self-determination" as we watch the Rutte government acting against its own Dutch farmers, or the Biden administration "administering" an essentially open border, many in the Netherlands as in the US, would argue that "governments responsive to the will of the people are not much in evidence today.