Kim: Ukraine «enjoys life» compared to Afghanistan, Yemen and Palestine

Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration. Photo: NikVesti

Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional Administration, believes that despite almost four years of war, the population of Ukraine is living in high spirits. For comparison, he cited the living conditions of residents of Afghanistan, Yemen, and Palestine.

He said this in an interview with Hlavkom.

The journalists asked the official what he thought Ukrainians would need in 2025. Vitalii Kim replied that the main need is money. "But to survive in a state of war, you have to accept war as a permanent state and learn to live like that.

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«I see that our people are already moving to this stage: they are even less concerned about when the war will end, as they have been for three years. We are going through the stage of acceptance. Now we need to give people clear information about the current state of affairs: what is important today, what we can do in this situation, how to help... I am now trying to concentrate on current tasks, because if I cannot influence something, then it is not worth worrying about it at all. So, in a good way, this kind of indifference and focus on everyday things is, in my opinion, what everyone needs now. In 2022, people were queuing up to enlist in the army, running on adrenaline at a sprint distance. After three and a half years of war, fatigue takes its toll — people don't want to mobilise, make plans... Everyone is mentally tired first and foremost. Everyone has to recover in their own way, and nothing can be done about it. All hope is in the Armed Forces and the leadership of our country, in a diplomatic settlement of this issue,» says Vitalii Kim.

At the same time, he adds that compared to countries at war, particularly in the Middle East, some regions of Ukraine cannot complain about the conditions around them.

«Thank God, we don't have a default, and the hryvnia hasn't collapsed. Thanks to the support of foreign partners and the government's policy, the country is alive. But everything is learned by comparison. Compare how Afghanistan, or Yemen, or Palestine are living in war. Excuse me, but we are enjoying life — with karaoke, concerts, restaurants and everything else. We have nothing to complain about, we have very good conditions, no matter how it may sound during the war,» said the head of the RMA.

The head of the Mykolaiv RMA also noted the significant difference between the lives of people in frontline Kherson and the conventional Ternopil.

«Different issues are discussed in everyday life, completely different issues. And this gap is growing,» said the head of the region.

Earlier, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, said that despite its proximity to the front line, the region lives a full life, and the population is even larger than before the full-scale invasion.