Recently, a public opinion leader decided that it is necessary to preserve the nation. And for this, people need to reproduce. But the darned technological development, urbanization, and people don’t want to actively procreate and reproduce.
And then the thought leader declared that there is a solution. Cities need to be depopulated. And return the majority of the nation to the countryside. And there they will start reproducing as they did for centuries. And you can’t argue that people reproduce poorly in cities. Worldwide. It’s a common trend.
This is Dugin’s idea. The author of the Russian world. Who is deeply concerned about the fate of the Russian nation. For some reason, it came to mind when the Ukrainian Institute of the Future (probably not a very bright future) also started to concern itself with the future of the Ukrainian nation and proposed keeping men without the basic right to travel abroad for three more years after the war. Well, we fought for freedom, didn’t we? So, live in confinement.
Very similar ideas. And in principle, often some Ukrainian figures, trying to fight the inevitable, begin to produce ideas that are very similar to the “Russian world”.
You cannot limit human rights
And this doesn’t need to be discussed. You cannot limit human rights simply because you cannot. Period. Otherwise, we are not talking about a democratic country. We are talking about a totalitarian one. Where the end justifies the means. And where the freedom of an individual is worth nothing. This is the model of Russia as well.
Depopulation will be Ukraine’s biggest problem
And yes, after the war, depopulation will be the biggest problem of Ukraine. Yes, some number of men will leave as soon as the borders open. And they have every right to do so. Some will return from abroad, where they waited out the war. Which is completely natural. And some will leave, including those who have been demobilized from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Because that’s what they want. And there’s no need to tell someone who has given everything for the country that this country then wants to keep you from leaving.
However, the problem must be solved by acknowledging it, not in a manner that is unacceptable for a free country. A democratic country. A country where human rights are not an empty phrase. A country united by the values it fought for. After all, it’s about these values in this war. To avoid becoming Russia.
Therefore, after the war, Ukraine will have a significant problem. Depopulation. And it’s not even just about the quantity of people. It’s about the age structure. Too many pensioners. Too few working individuals. Maybe the Institute of the Future will suggest reducing the number of pensioners, who knows. But, once again, such ideas don’t work in a democratic country.
What’s the possible solution? Only one. Migration. Engaging labor migrants. From different countries. From different continents. Different races. And religions. Simply because we don’t have a spare Ukraine somewhere.
Would it have been better to bring Ukrainians back? Of course, it would have been better. But you can’t force them back. And the longer the war lasts, the more Ukrainians who left are settling into their lives abroad. And the less they will want to return. Moreover, the depopulation issue was relevant for Ukraine even before the war. We didn’t have unemployment. We had a labor shortage. Which still exists, even during the war, amid a lack of investment.
Can we hope that Ukrainians, suddenly defying global trends, will start reproducing actively? No. This needs to be acknowledged. Unless, of course, some institute of the future proposes resettling Ukrainians back in rural areas.
Therefore, migration is the only answer. Whether you like it or not. There simply is no alternative. The alternative is total poverty.
This needs to be acknowledged. And preparations need to be made for it. This process must be managed, not chaotic. And society must be ready for it.
This is what we should be talking about, instead of producing insane theories about disregarding basic human rights and turning Ukraine into a barracks that holds hopes of Eurointegration. The author of the article would like to see the eyes of European officials when presented with a combination of such steps and Eurointegration, as well as the eyes of voters, whose opinion matters greatly in Ukraine when someone in an official capacity comes up with such a proposition.
Originally posted by Sergey Fursa on 24 Kanal. Translated and edited by the UaPosition – Ukrainian news and analytics website
See also: Ukraine after war: social dimension
