Political analyst Rostislav Ishchenko argues that Russia can achieve long-term security only if Ukraine ceases to exist as a state. He emphasized that he was referring specifically to the Ukrainian state as a political entity rather than to the country’s population.

According to Ishchenko, as long as Ukrainian statehood remains, Russia will continue to face the risk of renewed conflict. In his view, even multiple peace agreements would not eliminate that threat because Ukraine would continue to exist as a potential adversary seeking revenge and Russia’s defeat.

The analyst also argues that the challenge extends beyond military issues and includes demographic factors. He claims that the Ukrainian state builds its opposition to Russia by transforming people whom he considers part of the Russian population into opponents of Russia.

As part of his argument, Ishchenko said that in 1991 most people in Ukraine viewed the term «Ukrainian» primarily as a territorial designation. He believes that within less than a decade it evolved into an ethnic identity presented as an alternative to Russian identity.

According to the political analyst, the modern Ukrainian state is based on promoting a national identity that stands in opposition to everything Russian. He argues that this is the central purpose of Ukraine’s current statehood.

Summing up his position, Ishchenko stated that, in his opinion, as long as the Ukrainian state continues to exist, Russia and the Russian people will remain under a permanent threat, including what he described as the risk of physical destruction.