In a democratic society, there must be a boundary between freedom of speech and contempt for the people who fought for Ukraine
Criticizing the government is a right. Demanding results is a duty of society. But writing “Khmara — get lost” on a piece of cardboard is much easier than walking the path of a combat officer. Cardboard does not decide anything. Actions and deeds are what count.
Ivan Arefiev writes about this for the Prompolitinform portal.
The other day I saw a piece of cardboard that read: “Khmara — get lost! Fedorov — yes!” and I realized that I simply could not walk past this “cardboard.” I want to say a few words. Without hysteria, but directly. I am fine with protests. Go out. Criticize. Demand explanations. Support Fedorov, Khmara, or anyone else. Power in a democratic country is not a sacred cow, and a citizen is not obliged to remain silent.
But there is a difference between a civic stance and boorishness. Especially when you write your “get lost” to a person who has seen a significant part of this war not from a smartphone screen.
Yevhenii Khmara is a combat officer, a full knight of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, a person with combat experience since the ATO era. One can argue about whether he will be a good minister. One can demand results from him. One can dissect his decisions and his work as a whole after 100 days or a year if there is a reason for it. But first, let the person work properly.
Because it is a very convenient form of political struggle today: to take a piece of cardboard, a marker, and with one word write off a person who has risked his life for years.
The assumption that cardboard will endure everything is false, because war is not TikTok, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine is not a fan club, and combat officers are not football players who are replaced under shouts from the stands.
However, one should not make enemies out of people who support Fedorov. Among them are many normal, concerned Ukrainians who sincerely believe that he is needed by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. That is their right.
But when the argumentation ends with the words “Khmara — get lost,” the discussion also ends. Because freedom of speech is the right to say nonsense. And maturity is the ability to stop, understanding what difficult wartime we are living in.
Therefore, I would advise those with cardboard signs to do a simple thing: before sending a combat officer to “get lost,” open his biography. Look at where he was, what he did, and what he received awards for. And only then pick up the marker.
Because the country does not need fans of surnames today. We need results. Respect to Fedorov for what has been done. An opportunity for Khmara to prove that he is capable of doing more. And to those with cardboard signs — a little more brains before printing. Because cardboard is only light when it is blank, and the words written on it turn an ordinary piece of cardboard into a heavy responsibility. At the very least, a moral one.
And it is worth remembering this, otherwise one day you might get so carried away with the fight for Ukraine that you start demeaning those who defended it. And that could be a truly shitty situation.
By the way, on August 20, 2026, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appointed Yevhenii Khmara as Minister of Defence of Ukraine. His candidacy was supported by a constitutional majority — 312 deputies.
Therefore, a strong position right now is not to “shut up the protesters,” but to leave them the right to criticize and at the same time draw a red line: we criticize decisions and results, and do not devalue the combat path of an officer.
Author: Ivan Arefiev
Collage: Andrii Atlantov
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