"The war did not break Ukraine and will not break or stop life in our country – address of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen" and the Conduct of Functionally Differentiated Multi-Generational Warfare

 

The Russo-Ukrainian War has proven to be a tremendously important event for the development and clarification of the characteristics of functionally differentiated multi-generational warfare (see eg, Functional Differentiation in the Projection of Multi-Generational War Techniques--A New Front in the Russo-Ukrainian War; Russia in Nicaragua).  The important transformation of warfare now suggests the refinement of a number of parameters. These are not new, in the sense that each can be traced to conflict especially from the time of the breakup of Yugoslavia. But to see them all deployed simultaneously in one conflict is to some extent new, and the possibilities of experimentation irresistible. 

Among the emerging structures are these: (1) that war is not a binary event, one is either all in or all out--states and other actors can choose to engage in some but not all fronts in the the war; (2) that conflict in any of the functionally differentiated front are open to all individuals and collective actors with the capacity to engage effectively; (3) that what was understood as multi-generational part of warfare is now better understood as the way in which conflict has now been functionally differentiated--combat, societal, economic, cultural, or political disruptions, etc.; (4) that the modalities of combat have become much more variegated and targeted--killings, economic, social, criminal, and political effect, etc.; (5) that neutrality no longer exists; what has replaced it is the ability to engage in quite precise ways ion different theaters of operation without provoking loses from an opposing side; and (6) that technology can drive both these theaters and their coordination in new and quite powerful ways, especially those technologies that employ AI, big data, and predictive modeling.  

None of this is new; all have been the subject of substantial analysis--plus the theater of covert operations that are veiled. Nonetheless, the after action reporting of this conflict--built around thje traditional centering of combat, will point more specifically to the transformation of the art and scope of war, as well as its management. In this respect Sergio Marlotti's recent essay ought to be carefully considered (A warning from the Russian–Ukrainian war: avoiding a future that rhymes with the past).

As the combat front of the Russo-Ukrainian war drags on, it may be useful to recall that substantial energy is also belong devoted to other key fronts in the war, fronts in which allies and enemies can take a more robust and open role.  President Zelenskyy has served as an effective representation of Ukrainian efforts to better marshal the private power of financing conflict and the process of developing public and private networks of decision makers in a number of functionally differentiated fronts. The forms of this marshaling of forces, and the efforts to coordinate them for the benefit ogf Ukrainian war efforts, was  very much in evidence in President Zelenskyy's 23 July remarks: The war did not break Ukraine and will not break or stop life in our country – address of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen. 

The subject was post war recovery. That in itself was an excellent positioning of the  remarks, as it sought to emphasize the commitment of those in attendance to aid of a sufficient quality and scope to assure Ukraine of the capacity to rebuild.

Why are we talking about reconstruction now, when the war is not yet over? So that on the first day of peace you can feel it fully. So that there was already a systematic reconstruction of everything that was destroyed by the Russian army. So that there are already security guarantees for our people. So that people already know where and how they can return if they went abroad to escape hostilities. So that the medical system restores its strong capacity. So that parents do not have any unanswered questions about education, first of all for their children. So that people know for sure that there are jobs for them in Ukraine and there is a choice of how to express themselves. And that all our respectable men and women veterans, who have gone through the hell of battles, really feel the gratitude of our state. (The war did not break Ukraine )

That lens also provided the opportunity to describe what are victories in the diplomatic front of the war.  Ukraine has gone from the status of a backwater to that of a more front line state with respect to which global diplomatic networks make sense.  Ukraine has the world's attention and they have been good  at deriving positive benefit through the extension of diplomatic efforts that in turn serve as the bridge to other less public interactions. They have also used the opportunity to innovate: "We started a new form of diplomatic activity – systematic and large-scale appeals to the parliaments and peoples of the world. And they showed that it can be more powerful than all other forms of conventional diplomacy." (The war did not break Ukraine). This is not new in the sense of never tried before (China's BRI includes a strong government to government network system, and it has been common fo0r heads of state to deliver speeches to foreign parliaments); it is new in the sense of its weaponization in the context of hot conflict. Lastly, the innovation in the coordination of non-public support is worth a much more careful consideration.

We also launched a fundamentally new public charity platform, UNITED24, which helps to unite the potential of different societies, civic activism on different continents of the world, efforts of business and the cultural sphere to implement specific projects for the protection and restoration of our state, which we now very much need. Outstanding people have already become Ambassadors for the UNITED24 platform, outstanding athletes Andriy Shevchenko and Elina Svitolina, actor Liev Schreiber, and now it is also the Imagine Dragons band – I spoke with them last night.  Over UAH 5 billion have already been raised during the existence of our charity platform. (The war did not break Ukraine).

Again, this is not new. Its coordination and instrumentalization suggests innovation of interest to other states  considering functionally differentiated multi-generational conflict scenarios with or without hot war.  It also suggests the ways that either countermeasures may be deployed by hostile actors, and the innovation in terms of countermeasure workarounds. 

The speech follows below.

 

The war did not break Ukraine and will not break or stop life in our country – address of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen

23 July 2022 - 19:04

Dear First Ladies and Gentlemen!

Dear Ladies and gentlemen presidents!

Dear guests of the Summit!

Dear all our native Ukrainians!

I am extremely pleased to be here today, to participate with you in the opening of the second Kyiv Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen.

Olena just said how important it is that during the war we keep up the pace of our activity and do not give in to the circumstances.

150 days. After eight years. The war did not break Ukraine and will not break it, did not stop life in our country and will not stop it. And it will definitely not make us hostages of the terror that the invaders brought to our beautiful, peaceful and strong state.

The main topic of this Summit is the post-war recovery of Ukraine, the human dimension of this recovery.

Why are we talking about reconstruction now, when the war is not yet over? So that on the first day of peace you can feel it fully. So that there was already a systematic reconstruction of everything that was destroyed by the Russian army. So that there are already security guarantees for our people. So that people already know where and how they can return if they went abroad to escape hostilities. So that the medical system restores its strong capacity. So that parents do not have any unanswered questions about education, first of all for their children. So that people know for sure that there are jobs for them in Ukraine and there is a choice of how to express themselves. And that all our respectable men and women veterans, who have gone through the hell of battles, really feel the gratitude of our state.

I just met at Bankova Street with the congressmen of the United States of America, who came to support us and you, all Ukrainians, in the fight for the main thing – for freedom.

The delegation was led by Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Adam Smith.

And it was felt that our conversation about the further increase of aid was a continuation of all our previous talks and, in particular, the meetings of the First Lady of Ukraine in Washington.

We see that the address of the First Lady of Ukraine in the U.S. Congress was also heard – there is activity both regarding weapons for Ukraine and regarding the legal response to what Russia is doing against our independence and our state.

Today, this important Summit will contribute to the protection of the state and overcoming the consequences of Russian terrorist attacks.

We are harnessing the power of our society and seeing results.

Ukraine has the largest global support in its history - our anti-war coalition includes dozens of countries: from Canada to New Zealand, from Japan and the United States to the UK and every friendly country in Europe.

We have established the kind of connections with our partners that allow us already five months to oppose an army that has been building for the purpose of our destruction for decades.

We are building new relations with many countries of the world. Contacts with the countries of Africa and Latin America were intensified only during these months. Many of them are at this level for the first time: Guatemala, Ecuador, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Mozambique, Cote d'Ivoire, etc.

The President of Indonesia – one of the largest Islamic countries in the world and the leader in ASEAN – visited Kyiv for the first time.

Ukraine participated three times in the G7 meetings, we have an invitation to the G20 summit.

We started a new form of diplomatic activity – systematic and large-scale appeals to the parliaments and peoples of the world. And they showed that it can be more powerful than all other forms of conventional diplomacy.

We also launched a fundamentally new public charity platform, UNITED24, which helps to unite the potential of different societies, civic activism on different continents of the world, efforts of business and the cultural sphere to implement specific projects for the protection and restoration of our state, which we now very much need.

Outstanding people have already become Ambassadors for the UNITED24 platform, outstanding athletes Andriy Shevchenko and Elina Svitolina, actor Liev Schreiber, and now it is also the Imagine Dragons band – I spoke with them last night.

Over UAH 5 billion have already been raised during the existence of our charity platform.

We achieved such a result in relations with the European Union, which seemed to many to be a fantasy, when we here in Kyiv, on the fifth day of the war, signed the application for joining the EU.

And now for people it is just a part of the usual reality – the fact that Ukraine is officially recognized as an EU candidate.

And I believe that peace in Ukraine, and the reconstruction of our country, and the return of our beautiful people from abroad, and the further movement of our state into a united Europe will become equally common facts.

Is this possible? We all don't just feel, we know that all these things are possible. And it will be so!

Otherwise, this second Summit in particular would not have happened. There wouldn't be all its participants and there wouldn't be this attention that I see now.

Because this is attention to the future of our Ukraine, which we will make together, which we will build despite everything, despite the war. I am sure that today in the addresses and discussions, talks at the panels of the Summit, we will be able to hear a lot of very important, useful things. This is the Summit of those whose power, though soft, is always invincible.

I thank you all for participating! I thank our friends, close friends from Latvia, Lithuania, from all continents of the world, who will join us today.

Thank you all!

Glory to Ukraine!