Historian Ihor Zhaloba joined the Ukrainian army after Russia's attack. In an interview with “Presse” he recounts his impressions – and criticizes the sluggishness of the military apparatus and the lack of a “war economy”.
He is called a “fighting professor”: Ihor Zhaloba, historian and head of the chair of international relations and international law at Borys Hrynchenko University in Kiev, joined the Ukrainian army after the start of the Russian invasion. The week before, he was in Vienna to inform people firsthand about the war in his country. “Sometimes it's hard to convey that we're having a real war,” he says. Zhaloba wants people to take a closer look: “If we don't defeat Russia, the war will become even bigger and affect Europe itself.”
Ihor Zhaloba during his visit to Vienna. Jutta Sommerbauer
The tall man with a full gray beard volunteered immediately after the Russian attack. Many family men acted like him. “Instead of my children, I will go” – this is what Ukrainian men would have said to themselves in relation to their own children. But as the war continues, there will be no way to lower the mobilization age, which is currently 27, says Zhaloba. President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled at his press conference on Tuesday that he could envision a 25-year mobilization in the future. Zhaloba will celebrate his 60th birthday in February 2024. At 60 you can disarm, which is what he plans to do: he wants to return to civilian life. “We all had to get involved at the crucial stage,” he says.
“We thought it would be faster”
He has seen a lot in his almost two years of service. Zhaloba's unit was involved in the defense of Kiev; In the summer he took part in the counteroffensive in the Zaporizhia region. He was stationed near the village of Robotyne, one of the villages that the Ukrainians recaptured from the Russians with heavy losses.
Zhaloba praises the courage and bravery of her companions, but also talks about the setbacks of the mission. “The Russian lines were difficult to break through,” he says. “We thought it would be faster.” The minefields laid by the Russian army in the previous months and the Ukrainians' lack of air power would have made the offensive more difficult.
The 59-year-old, who is co-chairman of the Austro-Ukrainian Commission of Historians and chairman of the board of directors of the Pan-European Union of Ukraine, spares no criticism. Especially in a difficult situation like the current one, it is important to draw the right conclusions, says Zhaloba. Statements like Zhaloba's are likely to accurately reflect the mood in the lower echelons of the military.
Distorted image from the front?
Among other things, the historian criticizes the fact that the army is still a very rigid, Soviet-style institution. The experiences of competent commanders are not taken seriously enough, best practices are implemented too slowly, and feedback is not desired. For example, the army leadership reacted too slowly when it came to combating drones. “I'm sitting in a foxhole, we need drones,” he says. But supplies are often not enough. Ukraine needs to think more in the direction of a war economy – just as Russia is already doing. If Kiev Mayor Vitalij Klitschkos wants more money for new parks, then this is not appropriate for the situation. “We don’t need new parks, but FPV drones produced by ourselves,” demands Zhaloba.
He is also concerned about the divide between soldiers' everyday lives and civilian life. “The majority of the population in the hinterland has relaxed,” he criticizes. People should be better informed and not be too insecure. The Ukrainian media sometimes painted a distorted picture, giving the (false) impression that the opponent was inferior in any way. But the whitewash is misleading: “Regardless of whether the Russians have new or old tanks, they shoot at us with them.”