Kremlin’s endgame: Putin’s ‘final solution’ for Ukraine

The goal remains the same: strip Ukraine of its ability to defend itself, dismantle the Ukrainian state, and assimilate Ukrainians into a so-called “one people.”

After 11 years of war, Russia has made it clear time and again: it won’t stop voluntarily. It can only be stopped — because otherwise, it will continue its pursuit of what can only be called a “final solution” to the Ukrainian question, in the spirit of Hitler.

The motivations behind this are both rational and irrational — economic interest, strategic geography, millions of Slavic citizens on the one hand; on the other, Kremlin dogma and even messianic belief.

Phrases like “the collapse of the USSR was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century,” “Lenin invented Ukraine,” and “everything you have is ours” are not fringe rhetoric anymore. These ideas have been pumped into the Russian mainstream through relentless propaganda, taking root in a society long steeped in imperialist chauvinism and fantasies of “greatness.”

This is the soil from which grow such Kremlin doctrines as “the bulldozer” and “the python” — strategies that willingly trade human lives for territorial gain. From the average Russian’s perspective, this is a “just war” to reclaim what’s “theirs.” And once Russia wins, Ukrainians are to be “cleansed,” re-educated, and transformed into Russians.

It’s not just the infamous manifestos from the early days of the full-scale invasion that echo this plan. The groundwork was laid even earlier — like in 2019, when Andriy Portnov, a herald of the “Russian World” in Ukraine, wrote eerily similar posts.

This is the endgame. This is the scenario: the “final solution” to the Ukrainian question. The goal is the elimination of Ukrainian statehood and the end of what they call “Ukrainian separatism.”

That’s why no rational arguments or peace proposals work. Russia will stop only when it is physically incapable of continuing its aggression.

Even Ukraine’s top military commander, General Syrskyi, and President Zelenskyy himself now speak openly about a “war of attrition.”

But Zelenskyy, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak, and others at the top remain caught in a narrative of personal exceptionalism. Western media interviews and op-eds continue to portray Zelenskyy as the greatest leader of our time — someone who should lead Ukraine during the war and after.

In other words, while the country faces existential threats, its leadership seems more preoccupied with preserving their own power, resources, and influence. It’s like fighting for the best cabin on the Titanic as it races toward the iceberg.

What should be done instead? The survival formula has been discussed many times and boils down to this:

• Mobilize all available resources — human, intellectual, institutional.
• Direct them toward one goal: defeating Russia.
• Stop the enemy by destroying its military power and the economic foundation behind it.

The first step must be bringing the best experts into government. Yet year after year, Ukrainians are offered nothing but a tired shuffle of furniture in the President’s Office. Even clear failures — on the battlefield, in fortification planning, or in securing foreign aid — rarely lead to serious personnel changes. Loyalty, not competence, still rules — and that’s deepening the crisis of governance.

Whether the next prime minister is Shmyhal, Svyrydenko, or another of Yermak’s protégés doesn’t matter. What matters is results — and that should now be the only criterion.

In democracies, there’s a reason governments of national unity or emergency cabinets exist. They allow the best person to be appointed to each role regardless of party; they align everyone around a common goal; and natural political competition creates a system of checks and balances that breaks corrupt alliances and improves decisions.

It’s all upside — for the country. But for the current leadership, it threatens their monopoly on power. That’s why this solution is still off the table — and why Bankova’s obedient infotroops are doing their best to ridicule the idea.

But the alternative to genuine national mobilization and real problem-solving? A Russian victory. The "final solution" to the Ukrainian question.

Source

About the author. Rostyslav Pavlenko, Ukrainian politician, political scientist, political technologist, teacher. Member of the Parliament of Ukraine of the 9th convocation

The editorial staff does not always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.