Every wave of “talks about freezing the war” demotivates Ukrainian fighters who risk their lives every day. Bohdan Korzhenko, commander of a rifle battalion in the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, urged people not to believe that a ceasefire could be achieved next year, according to Focus.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports that US President Donald Trump was not familiar with the details of the 28-point peace plan, which later became a basis for US pressure on Ukraine. The document even caught the White House by surprise, creating chaos as different departments did not understand what was happening. There are currently no signs that Russia wants to end the war.
“Here on the ground, we can see, and we understand, that fake news and rumors about a ceasefire ... are having a very negative impact on the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the army as a whole,” says Korzhenko.
Information war is just as much a part of the conflict as artillery or drones
According to the Ukrainian commander, a soldier may become demoralized while waiting for the end of the war, as politicians negotiate a ceasefire.
“In reality, the situation is not good. In our opinion, if negotiations are taking place, they should be conducted more behind the scenes,” emphasizes Korzhenko.
Such a result plays into Russia’s hands, as it intensifies its influence operations against Ukraine amid discussions of a peace plan.
He assures that active media coverage of the negotiation process does not benefit Ukraine itself. Because of this, defenders think less about the war and more about when a ceasefire might happen.
Fake peace talks benefit the Kremlin's war machine
“In my opinion, it’s not worth believing in a ceasefire in 2026. It’s not worth thinking about an end at all. We should prepare for a long and protracted war, with allies or without them,” Korzhenko notes.
At the same time, he explained that his battalion, as well as the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade as a whole, mainly consists of volunteers. These fighters believe in victory, not negotiations, so motivating them to fight is not very difficult.
Earlier, Dmytro Pletenchuk, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, said that when discussions about any possible negotiation processes arise, the Russians always intensify their terror, per UkrInform.
“This has become a tactic for the Russians: whenever there is talk of any possible negotiation processes, they always increase terror. We’ve seen this more than once, and these processes are always correlated with one another,” he said.
Just one day, when the possible peace plan's existence was started to be reported in the media, Russia launched a massive attack, killing 34 civilians in Ternopil, a city in western Ukraine.
