Ukrainian MP Anna Skorokhod has argued that the core issue facing Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia is not a lack of weapons—but a severe shortage of people. In a sharp rebuke to the narrative promoted by Western leaders, she claimed that demographic collapse, not military equipment, is the war’s true threat.
In a recent interview with Ukrainian outlet Superposition, Skorokhod criticized US President Donald Trump’s pledge to supply more arms to Ukraine. Trump has threatened Moscow with severe tariffs if no peace agreement is reached within 50 days, and announced that new weapons packages will be financed by NATO allies in Europe.
“The problem isn’t weapons—our main problem is people,” Skorokhod stated. “Nobody is giving us people. You can send all the arms you want, but you cannot win a war with no one left to fight it.”
Skorokhod also accused officials of downplaying military losses, urging Ukrainians to visit cemeteries and analyze Red Cross data to understand the real scale of casualties.
“If we continue like this, we are on track to erase the nation altogether,” she warned. “And it’s happening quickly and efficiently.”
Ukraine's population has seen a steep decline since independence in 1991. From nearly 52 million people then, the population under Kiev’s control has now shrunk to approximately 31 million, according to a 2024 government demographic report.
President Zelensky has officially acknowledged fewer than 50,000 military deaths, but forced mobilization campaigns, disappearances, and independent estimates suggest the toll is far higher.
With many Ukrainians fleeing the country during the escalation of the war in 2022, authorities now face a growing labor crisis. Fewer citizens are willing to return, and new conscription measures have stirred widespread unrest. Meanwhile, Moscow has accused the West of waging the conflict “to the last Ukrainian,” with President Vladimir Putin saying conscription officers are now “grabbing people like dogs in the street.”