Olena Kozii
Ukrainian Journalist | Lecturer | Strategic Communications | International Partnerships Lead, Institute of Cyber Warfare Research | Rising Leaders Fellow, Aspen Institute UK | Poker Player
Institute of Cyber Warfare Research
London, England, United Kingdom
About
When I’m not writing, I’m either ordering books on Amazon, combating disinformation, investigating things that matter, or ending up somewhere between media and diplomacy. Slava to Ukraine 🇺🇦! Героям Слава!
May 10, 2026
I made a comic for you that perfectly sums up the diplomatic situation around the Moscow parade.
***
Moscow:
“We declare a ceasefire.”
Kyiv:
“We don’t give a sh**t.”
Moscow:
“No, seriously. We insist on a ceasefire.”
Kyiv:
“Alright then. Starting today.”
Moscow:
“No.”
Kyiv:
“Then your parade is f**сk*d.”
Moscow:
“If the Kyiv regime ruins our parade, the response will be devastating.”
Kyiv:
……
Moscow:
“If Kyiv strikes during the parade, there will be retaliatory strikes on decision-making centers.”
Kyiv:
….
Moscow:
“With nuclear weapons.”
“The Oreshnik is already warming up.”
“Hello???”
Kyiv:
“We’ll observe your behavior.”
Moscow sends messages to every diplomatic mission:
“Calm him down.”
Western partners, panicking:
“Maybe just let him have his parade?”
Kyiv:
“We can’t guarantee anything. Depends on their behavior.”
Moscow:
“Hello, Donald? Tell him to stop this terror.”
Washington:
“You wanted me to cut his funding?”
Moscow:
“Well?”
Washington:
“You wanted me to stop supplying weapons?”
Moscow:
“Well???”
Washington:
“So how exactly am I supposed to pressure him?”
Moscow:
“Just scare him.”
Washington:
“He’s completely unhinged. How am I supposed to scare him?”
Moscow:
“Just say it’s your peace initiative.”
Washington:
“Volodymyr, you’re a very cool guy. I really like cool guys. We should accept the ceasefire.”
Kyiv:
“Nah. I think we should f**ck*ng hit them.”
Washington:
“Volodymyr, no need to f**ck*ng hit them. We need deals. Negotiations.”
Kyiv:
“But it’s already planned. The boys worked hard, prepared everything. As they say, the planes are already airborne, we’re gonna bomb.”
Washington:
“What if he returns people?”
Kyiv:
“Fine. But a lot.”
Washington:
“You return 1,000 people, and you can have your parade.”
Moscow:
“Really?”
Washington:
“For real.”
Moscow:
“Make him swear.”
Washington:
“Are you an idiot?”
Moscow:
“We need guarantees.”
Washington:
“He’s the one who needs guarantees.”
Kyiv:
“Alright then.
I hereby permit the parade on Red Square.
President of Ukraine V. Zelenskyy.”
Moscow and Washington together:
“What a b**tch.”
✏️Text source: https://lnkd.in/gyiEuarc
***
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Decree No. 374/2026 today, authorising the military parade in Moscow on May 9.
🔗 Link to the decree: https://lnkd.in/g6PWFNH4
Comment from :
Thanks to Olena Kozii for this “account”! It unfortunately reflects the positions of those at the top of the government. There’s one adult in the room, he is Ukrainian.
putin’s russians and Ukraine’s Ukrainians: two very different ambitions: – putin’s russians want to GOOSE-STEP in moscow and parade (what a pathetic ambition given the context). They seem to care little if their soldiers invade a free country and commit countless war crimes. – For their part, the Ukrainians want to remain FREE from the russo-putinian plague.
Ukraine is on the front line of the defense of #Europe against the expansionist ambitions of KGBputin.
Can we help?
We can back Ukrainian civilian volunteers such as #AntoninaKozurak and Victoria Gubko. They support the Defenders of Ukraine by providing them with: – homemade, sterilized meals and equipment: – night-vision goggles, – drone detectors, – camouflage nets, – spare tires for vehicles, etc.
Here’s a post from Victoria Gubko with contact details for donations:
Each donation helps.
Olena Kozii Дику, варварську, мерзотну, дурнувату, хвору, ідіотську ruZZland потрібно НЕГАЙНО ізолювати від усього цивілізованого світу💀☠
Das wilde, barbarische, miese, blöde, kranke, bescheuerte ruZZland muss AB SOFORT von der ganzen zivilisierten Welt isoliert werden💀☠
The wild, barbaric, vile, stupid, sick, idiotic ruZZland must be isolated from the entire civilized world IMMEDIATELY 💀
…………….
Liubov Velychko
Investigative Journalist | Researcher in Information Operations & FIMI | Speaker
КНУ ім. Т.Г. Шевченка Institute of Cyber Warfare Research
Kyiv, Kyiv City, Ukraine
The Day Russia Needed Ukraine’s Permission
For years, #Russia’s power projection relied not only on military force, but on mythology. One of the #Kremlin’s most important strategic assets was the carefully cultivated perception of inevitability: the idea that Russia is too large, too nuclear, too ruthless, and too psychologically dominant to ever be truly vulnerable.
That is why President Volodymyr #Zelenskyy’s “permission” for Russia to hold its May 9 military parade in #Moscow was a sophisticated information warfare operation aimed directly at the psychological architecture of Russian deterrence.
In resulit a state that built its identity around #military intimidation now finds itself in a position where the security of its most sacred #propaganda ritual implicitly depends on restraint from #Ukraine.
This represents a profound inversion of strategic psychology. Empires do not ask for safety. Empires project certainty.
The mere existence of public discussion around whether Moscow would be safe during its central Victory Day ceremony already signals erosion of the Kremlin’s aura of invulnerability.
For decades, Russian #influence operations have depended on manufacturing perceptions of overwhelming power: “Russia cannot be stopped,” “Ukraine cannot resist,” “the #West will eventually lose the will,” “escalation always favors Moscow.”
These narratives were instruments designed to shape decision-making environments inside foreign governments, media systems, and #security institutions.
Fear itself became a strategic #weapon.
What makes this episode particularly important is that Ukraine managed to attack not Russia’s military hardware, but the credibility of its mythmaking system. In information warfare, symbolic asymmetry often matters more than physical asymmetry. A smaller actor does not need to destroy a stronger adversary militarily to weaken it strategically; it only needs to destroy the perception of inevitability surrounding that adversary.
This is precisely why authoritarian systems invest so heavily in rituals, parades, monumental imagery, and choreographed demonstrations of strength. Such events are strategic signaling operations aimed at international audiences. Their purpose is to project permanence, confidence, hierarchy, and psychological dominance.
By reframing the Moscow parade as something that proceeds “with Ukraine’s permission,” Kyiv transformed one of the Kremlin’s strongest symbolic instruments into a vulnerability. The informational center of gravity shifted instantly. Instead of showcasing Russian dominance, global audiences began discussing Russian fear, Russian defensive preparations, and Russian anxiety about Ukrainian reach.
The destruction of the myth of an untouchable Russia may ultimately become one of the most strategically consequential developments of this war. Because once the illusion of inevitability collapses, the entire architecture of intimidation built upon it begins to fracture as well.
Comment from :
Incisive commentary. This is an important inflection point, brilliantly described by Liubov
About Liuba :
About
Investigative journalist and researcher with over 15 years of experience analysing corruption, disinformation, and state-linked influence operations, with a particular focus on Russia.
My work examines how Russian state and state-adjacent actors use disinformation, proxy organisations, and strategic narratives to influence political processes, public opinion, and policy decisions across Europe and beyond.
I focus on mapping operational patterns, institutional linkages, and narrative infrastructures rather than isolated incidents.
I combine OSINT, data analysis, and investigative reporting with long-term source work to analyse hostile information activity and operations aligned with state and intelligence objectives.
I am particularly interested in collaborations and commissions related to security risks, intelligence-linked influence, and strategic disinformation.
2024 – Fellow of The Bertha Foundation. Leading a one-year project focused on investigating disinformation campaigns sponsored by oil and gas giants and their influence on governmental decision-making.
2023 – Participant, Supervising and Monitoring Ukraine’s Reconstruction Funds, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
Since 2022 – Invited Expert, “Vibrant Information Barometer” study by International Research and Exchange Council (IREX).
Since 2020 – Invited Trainer & Mentor for regional journalists at the Institute of Regional Press Development (Ukraine).
Since 2018 – Member, National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.
Since 2017 – Member, International Union of Journalists N-Ost.
Since 2015 – Member, Center for the Study of Corruption and Organized Crime (OCCRP).
Perfect comment from Guillaume GENTIL.
Zelensky has played this situation to perfection. He has had Trump and Putin dancing to his tune.
Just the fact that they are begging him not to interfere with the parade was a big win. Then getting a POW release made him look both strong AND humanitarian. A leader who cares more about his people more than scoring intimidation points in the media like Putin would have.
The crowning achievement was the letter “giving permission.” to Putin to have his stupid parade.
Few things in this war have hurt Putler more. That was worth more than 100k casualties or 50 building burning in Mother Russia.
With literally the stroke of a pen he showed the world who was really in charge of this war. This is the language that Trump and Putin understand. It says clearly who has the power and who is approaching on bent knee.
And the fun thing is Trump has inadvertently gave him that power. By proudly cutting Ukraine funding and antagonizing the Europeans at the same time Trump brought them together like never before. Europe can no longer look to the US with confidence as a guarantor of it’s security They are on their own.
So they are looking to Ukraine fill that role. However the relationship is more as equals instead of as subordinates to the massive US military power. Europe realizes that as long as Ukraine continues to tie up the Russians they will be safe. So they are financing this war. Ukraine innovation, hard won experience and blood with EU money. Ukraine has proved it can go it alone without the US.
Ukraine has now replaced the US as the Arsenal of Democracy.
Slava Ukraini!