2025 for Ukraine: 5 great victories and 5 serious challenges for the state
1 January 19:03
The year 2025 was a test of Ukraine’s resilience and ability to withstand the aggressor. Despite the difficult military situation, the country managed to hold the front, conduct effective operations against Russian troops, and strengthen international support through the Coalition of the Willing. At the same time, 2025 demonstrated that the war for Ukraine is not only about the front and weapons, but also about the struggle for energy and public trust. From blackouts and mass emigration to corruption scandals and difficult negotiations with the United States, these challenges show how resilient the state must be. What lessons of resilience, unity, and innovative solutions does 2025 leave for future generations of Ukrainians? What challenges will have to be faced in 2026 – in the article by "Komersant Ukrainian".
5 victories of Ukraine in 2025
- Holding the front and strategic stability
The year 2025 was marked by a transition to the phase of exhaustion and technological competition on the front of Ukraine’s war against Russia. Ukraine was able to hold the front, launch effective strikes deep into Russian territory, and develop its own weapons. At the same time, Russia was strengthening its defense, and Europe realized its role in the security of the region.
Strategic stability and the ability to hold the front are key factors that determine Ukraine’s current position in the international arena and its ability to negotiate, emphasizes Serhiy Yahodzinsky, PhD, professor and vice-rector of the European University.
“Ukraine did not lose the front and did not collapse, as our enemy expected, which gave us a fairly strong negotiating position,” Sergiy Yahodzinsky
Assessing the results of the war in Ukraine, IDF reserve officer Hryhoriy Tamar called Operation Web a great victory. Ukraine, lacking sufficient resources for a classical war, was able to create a highly professional and effective deterrent tool that made a strong impression on the West and demonstrated the vulnerability of even the strategic elements of the Russian military system.
“This is a professional, forced, but extremely effective approach that Ukraine has taken against aggression. And the “Web” is not over yet. We will see its continuation,” Tamar summarized.
At the same time, Yevhen Tykhyi, a member of the Defense Forces, noted that the victory should be evaluated only in the long run.
“How Russia will behave, how the world will behave, Europe as well… Now it is good that we are still alive, that we exist. In particular, at the expense of foreign partners – the United States and other countries. We all understand that Russia will not stop, and according to the classics, having reviewed all the wars it has waged, if something failed, they tried again and again,” Yevhen Tykhyi
- International support
Ukraine continues to receive significant political and diplomatic support in the international arena, in particular through the Coalition of the Willing, which brings together about 30-40 countries.
Main conclusions:
- Security guarantees: The Coalition agreed on the areas of guarantees that do not repeat the mistakes of the Budapest Memorandum and strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position.
- Diplomatic work with the United States: The strategic dialogue on long-term security guarantees continues, with an emphasis on their legal force.
- Stable support from partners: 26 countries agreed to create a “reassurance force” for post-war security and deterrence of new aggression.
- Sanctions and economic pressure: Coalition leaders confirmed the immutability of sanctions against Russia until the end of the war and the coordination of actions against the energy and financial sectors.
- The role of Europe and the UK: France and the United Kingdom are the leaders of the coalition, ensuring coordination and a unified European response to the aggression.
“Whatever conditions are offered to us are not always favorable, but we are going this way through gritted teeth and there is hope for a certain finalization. It is also important to normalize relations with the United States and find a balance in dealing with the Donald Trump administration, which had tense rhetoric at the beginning of the year, but today there is a certain softening,” Professor Yahodzinsky said.
ukraine’s “economic miracle”
Mykhailo Kukhar, lecturer, managing partner and senior economist at the Independent Group for Macroeconomic Analysis and Forecasting Ukraine Economic Outlook / EMBA, called the current state of Ukraine’s economy an “economic miracle” on the YouTube channel Dumay.
Thus, without the support of Western partners, Ukraine would have been able to wage war for only 2-4 months, after which the country would have faced the risk of default. The economist emphasized that now, thanks to well-planned financial aid and grants, there is no threat of default.
The economist explained that if you combine all external borrowings and non-tax revenues (grants, assistance from partners), they cover almost all the costs of the war. This allows Ukraine to simultaneously maintain its economy and pay for peaceful budget expenditures, which, according to him, is a unique phenomenon.
“To be honest, it is an economic miracle. In the fourth year of the war, we still have such a surviving, healthy economy that is able to collect taxes and provide for defense spending,” Kukhar summarized.
If the war ends tomorrow, the budget revenues we collect through taxes are absolutely enough to finance all peaceful budget expenditures, the economist summarizes.
- Resilience. The ability to withstand Russian tactics
Sociological research in 2025 shows that Ukrainians have a strong desire for peace, while demonstrating a willingness to withstand the difficulties of war and defend sovereignty.
According to the Institute of Social Psychology (ISPP), more than 76% of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine needs peace, but not at any cost, which is an increase compared to 2023.
An Interfax-Ukraine poll confirms this sentiment: more than 70% of citizens want peace, but are not ready to agree to terms that undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Data from the Razumkov Center/KIIS show that 62% of Ukrainians are ready to “endure the war as long as necessary.”
“Despite all the restrictions, people find ways to adapt. At the same time, we will continue to live with the hope of stopping the war and keep the moral core that this war was unjust,” noted Sergiy Yagodzinsky.
The professor emphasized that the losses did not break Ukrainians, but rather motivate them to further accomplishments and rebuild for the future of the country. According to Yahodzinsky, after the war, many Ukrainians will return home, and some will remain abroad, but love for their country remains an important factor.
Fighting for the title and the country: Usyk’s victory
In 2025, Ukraine scored another outstanding victory on the world sports stage: Oleksandr Usyk defeated Daniel Dubois in a hard-fought rematch and regained the title of absolute world heavyweight champion.
The fight took place on July 19, 2025, at the legendary Wembley Stadium in London. Usyk won by knockout in the 5th round, confirming his status as one of the best boxers in the world and bringing Ukraine another sporting pride. In an interview before the fight, Usyk confirmed that he really wants to fight in Ukraine one day when the war is over:
“…I don’t hope – I know it will happen. Everything that I start, I bring to the end… We are waiting for the war to end, but it must be so that it does not start again,” – Oleksandr Usyk
This victory has become a symbol of the resilience of Ukrainian sport even in times of war. Usyk’s photo of training at a damaged thermal power plant was included in the ranking of the most impressive sports photos of 2025.
Usyk himself explained his action simply: it was a gesture of support for Ukrainian power engineers and a reminder to the world of the scale of destruction of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
The Sky Sports editorial team noted that the photo perfectly captures the emotional tension and resilience that have become the main markers of the year for Ukrainian sports and society.
5 challenges for Ukraine in 2025
the year 2025 brought Ukraine a number of serious challenges – from massive strikes on energy infrastructure and military losses to corruption scandals and complex international politics. The country managed to hold the line, but energy collapses, large-scale migration, and internal crises of trust showed how difficult it is to simultaneously fight on the front lines and maintain stability at home. At the same time, Donald Trump’s return to global politics and the temporary suspension of cooperation with the United States have become additional challenges for Kyiv.
- Massive attacks on energy infrastructure
Russian troops continued large-scale missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy system, which became more intense at the end of 2025. For the first time, the country declared a state of emergency. The Odesa region suffered a series of massive strikes on critical infrastructure, causing interruptions in electricity, water, and other utilities. Some people were left without electricity for a long time, and it took several days to restore power supply.
According to the Ministry of Energy, in the third quarter of 2025, Russian attacks damaged up to 8,000 MW of generating capacity, with about half of it restored as of the end of December, but attacks continue.
Energy expert Sergiy Dyachenko commented on whether Ukraine should prepare for a complete blackout in 2026.
“I think there will be no complete blackout. Our nuclear generation is working, and although the enemy is trying to damage the related infrastructure, we have learned to restore it quickly. Problems arise only with individual power supply and cooling systems, and they are promptly eliminated,” Sergiy Dyachenko
- Exhaustion of resources and loss of trust
Increasing conflicts between military personnel at territorial recruitment centers and civilians are increasingly becoming the subject of public debate and disinformation campaigns. The resonant events in Lviv, where Yurii Bondarenko, a military serviceman of the TCC, was killed during the document check, and the death of a man on the territory of the RTC in Odesa region only exacerbated the crisis of trust in the mobilization process.
Although the head of the GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, stated that cases of violence by the TCC employees were isolated and amounted to less than 1%, the mass impression is formed by deliberately replicating individual incidents.
“A significant failure is the loss of communication between the government and civil society. People have lost their direct connection with the authorities, and today even correct and reasonable decisions are perceived with skepticism or aggression,” summarizes Serhiy Yahodzinsky.
- Protracted war: loss of life
In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan on February 4, 2025, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on the losses of the Ukrainian military since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. According to him, the total losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine amount to about 45,100 killed and approximately 390,000 wounded, specifying that the number of wounds exceeds the number of injured, as some soldiers were wounded repeatedly.
“As for our losses, accurate figures are very important for us. 45,100 people were killed and about 390,000 were wounded…” Zelensky said.
However, this is the only official data on the number of dead and wounded Ukrainians. By the end of the year, this number had increased in one way or another. According to the American Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the total human losses in the war since February 24, 2022 have reached 1.4 million people, of whom about 1 million are Russian occupiers (approximately 250,000 killed) and 400,000 are Ukrainian military. The study is based on the estimates of the American and British governments, while it is noted that the exact number of victims is difficult to establish due to Moscow’s underreporting and Kyiv’s failure to disclose full information.
Moreover, Russia is holding Ukrainian military and civilians in more than 300 places of detention, including 186 for prisoners of war and an additional 186 for civilian hostages, according to Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. According to confirmed reports, 2577 Ukrainian servicemen and approximately 1800 civilians are held captive by the Russian Federation, while the total number of missing persons exceeds 15,000. Returning every Ukrainian soldier and civilian home remains a key priority for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
At the same time, according to the National Bank of Ukraine and government reports, as of the end of 2025, more than 7.5 million Ukrainians have left the country due to war, economic hardship, and the search for safety. The total number of Ukrainians abroad is about 25 million, including older emigrants. The peak of departures occurred in the fall of 2025, when almost 6 million left in a month and a half. Analysts predict that citizens will return no earlier than 2027, when the economy and social situation stabilize.
- Corruption scandals
In 2025, Ukraine faced large-scale anti-corruption challenges that affected business, government agencies, and the political elite. The most high-profile case was the one known in the media as Mindich Gate. The NABU and the SAPO uncovered a large-scale embezzlement scheme at the state-owned Energoatom. According to the investigation, money from contracts was laundered through a back office – a shadow network, and the total losses exceed $100 million.
Among the key defendants is businessman Timur Mindich, a former partner of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kvartal 95. According to the tapes, the defendants discussed their interaction with high-ranking officials, including the president, which caused a public outcry.
In December 2025, the NABU and the SAPO raided the Verkhovna Rada building, investigating possible bribes among MPs for voting.
According to the NABU and the SAPO, in the first half of 2025 alone, more than 115 people were notified of suspicion, including the current Deputy Prime Minister and the former Deputy Head of the Presidential Office.
“Unfortunately, corruption has emerged, and it has been highlighted by the bodies that have been created. We hope they will bring the case to an end. We continue to work, we are engaged in eradicating corruption. This is a long process. Americans have been trying to overcome corruption for many decades. And we need to go the same way,” Ivan Stupak emphasized
- Trump: a challenge for Ukraine and the world
Donald Trump’s return to big politics once again puts the world before a difficult choice. For some, he is a symbol of “tough realism” and pragmatism, for others, he is a factor of instability that could undermine the fragile international security system.
In early 2025, the United States temporarily suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine, which was a serious blow to Kyiv. The loss of access to critical information about the movements and intentions of Russian troops has complicated defense planning and operational actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In February 2025, a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump at the White House ended in a public conflict. Trump accused Zelenskyy of being unwilling to take steps to peacefully resolve the conflict with Russia, and no agreements were signed on economic agreements and resource extraction.
As Israeli military officer Hryhoriy Tamar noted, the truth with Trump is “always in the middle.” He is neither the savior of the world nor the embodiment of absolute evil. Trump is a product of his time and the interests of the United States, which do not always coincide with the interests of Ukraine or Israel.
“He has completely different priorities… This is confrontation with China. This is a strategic goal of the United States. And in order to achieve this goal, you need to understand that he will sacrifice both your interests and ours,” Hryhoriy Tamar
Trump is neither a verdict nor a panacea. It is a complex factor that makes Ukraine grow up in its foreign policy.
“The winner is the one who looks at reality soberly and acts not with emotion but with cold calculation,” Tamar says.
the year 2025 showed that Ukraine is capable of achieving victories even in extremely difficult conditions: holding the front, international support, economic resilience, and sporting achievements demonstrate the strength of the state and society. At the same time, energy strikes, corruption scandals, mass emigration, and geopolitical challenges remind us that the struggle is ongoing and requires concerted action by the government and citizens. This year has been a lesson in endurance: Ukraine’s strength is determined not only by weapons, but also by the ability to preserve sovereignty, trust and hope for the future.
