The Ukrainian year begins in February: seven truths of national survival - Valeriy Pekar.

The Ukrainian year has begun in February for 11 consecutive years. In these cold February days 11 years ago, the Ukrainian people demonstrated their subjectivity — the ability to make choices and the readiness to defend them, even when all circumstances and the entire world were against them. In these chilly February days three years ago, the Ukrainian people once again proved the same, but under much more complex and terrifying conditions, with the world against them yet again. No one gave us a chance. Yet for three years now, the Ukrainian people have been resisting the second-largest army in the world, facing attempts to fracture society, efforts to prove the futility of fighting, and being denied the right to determine our own fate. We draw strength from the experiences of the 20th century — the lessons of past mistakes and the understanding that an alternative choice guarantees us not life, but death. Our ancestors stood firm under even more challenging conditions, without any chances, while we now possess opportunities for victory, even though exhaustion tends to undervalue and undermine them. As an old Bandera supporter humorously remarked in a well-known anecdote, "You guys have come a long way since then."

It’s important to remind ourselves of a few simple truths.

1. Only the Ukrainian state guarantees the survival of the Ukrainian people — both in identity and culture, and for the overwhelming majority of us, even in physical terms.

2. In this world, the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian state are only needed by ourselves. Allies can only be temporary and based on shared interests.

3. We currently share common interests with a significant part of the world, even if not everyone realizes it. This increases our chances.

4. Right now, there is only one priority — to survive and endure. We will address who did or said what wrong later.

5. They have not been able to defeat us with military force over the past three years, so now the priority will be to undermine us through internal discord. This is our greatest vulnerability.

6. Each and every one of us can contribute to Ukraine's victory. But even if you can’t, please don’t contribute to Ukraine's defeat. Do not spread Russian propaganda, even if you really want to.

7. We are a horizontal networked society of free individuals. This is our strength. Cherish it, nurture it, and develop it.