Sykhiv Is Not a Verdict but a Dress Rehearsal: Ukraine's Social Contract Is Broken
In an analytical column, Ukrainian journalist Denys Bloshchynskyi argues that the Sykhiv incident reflects a deep rupture in the social contract between the state and citizens, caused by unfair mobilization and unkept promises.
Denys Bloshchynskyi, writing for Ukrainska Pravda, dissects the events in Lviv's Sykhiv district, where protesters overturned a car. He contends that the problem is not new: as early as 2015, during the sixth wave of mobilization, the plan was only 60% fulfilled, and 50–55% of those summoned did not report. At that time, the war was positional, so the system could ignore the issue. The full-scale invasion in 2022 removed that 'shock absorber' and revealed that nothing had changed.
Mobilization rests on what researcher Margaret Levi calls 'contingent consent' – citizens agree to serve if three conditions are met: the burden is fairly shared, the state keeps its promises (terms, rotations), and those who have served are treated with dignity. Bloshchynskyi asserts that all three are broken in Ukraine: exemptions have become a market, a demobilization law is stuck in parliament, and veterans must beg for prosthetics.
The lawlessness is mirrored in public reactions – no one believes the state will deliver justice. Instead, private 'arbiters' emerge, each with their own investigation and verdict. Language dehumanizes both sides: protesters are called animals, recruiters are called kidnappers. Bloshchynskyi warns this is 'otamanshchyna' – a network-based order that is never lawful.
The deeper conflict is symbolic: for some, the military uniform is a sacred relic; for others, it is the garb of a repressive institution. The contract rupture is mutual, but the state, being stronger, must make the first stitch. Solutions include symmetrical justice (punish both protesters and corrupt officials), clear legal commitments, separating police from military functions, and restoring the meaning of service.
Most alarming, in Bloshchynskyi's view, is the post-war period. When the fighting pauses, veterans will return with unpaid justice accounts. Society will face four distinct war experiences (trench, rear, border, occupation) without a culture of dialogue. Sykhiv is not a verdict or a diagnosis – it is a dress rehearsal for the coming drama. The time remaining before the curtain rises is all we have.
