Anatoliy Vovnyanko, former chief designer at the Antonov State Enterprise, and political analyst Yuriy Romanenko discussed the causes of Ukraine's economic and institutional decline during a joint broadcast. Comparing Ukraine's trajectory to the successes of neighboring Poland, they concluded that the post-Soviet state model has utterly collapsed.
Reflecting on 30 years of missed opportunities, Vovnyanko pointed out the massive gap between the two nations despite similar starting conditions. "Today, Poland’s GDP is $1 trillion, while Ukraine’s is $180 billion. Poland is being brought into the G20, and we...", the designer noted. He rejected the argument that Poland's success was solely due to EU membership, citing Bulgaria as an example of a country that did not achieve a similar breakthrough. According to Vovnyanko, the secret lies in the correct allocation of resources and priorities.
To illustrate the difference in approaches, Vovnyanko recalled a highway project leading to the border: "Ukraine and Poland were allocated money to build a highway to Lviv... Look at the highway Poland built to Krakovets. In our case, they just cleared a path through the woods."
Discussing personnel policy, Vovnyanko stated that Ukraine lacks the meritocracy that existed in the Soviet aviation industry or currently operates in China. He characterized the current state apparatus as thoroughly decayed. "In this rotten state, only parts of the SBU, GUR, and the Armed Forces represent what can be called a state. The rest is just rot," the expert argued categorically. He expressed the belief that radical, harsh measures are necessary to save the situation, as liberal leaders like Václav Havel or Lech Wałęsa never emerged in Ukraine. "My proposal would be to find a Pinochet or a Saakashvili who would tear down this rotten state," Vovnyanko declared.
Yuriy Romanenko summarized the discussion with a metaphor about the physical cold felt in the studio due to lack of heating and power, linking it to the end of post-Soviet Ukraine. "This chill that many are feeling now... it’s about the 'sunset of an era.' The sunset of the Second Ukrainian Republic, which was a continuation of the Ukrainian SSR but in its worst manifestations," the analyst said.
Romanenko also noted that even the "blood the country is choking on" fails to trigger basic self-preservation instincts in many Ukrainians. As an example of irresponsibility, he mentioned people driving luxury cars onto the ice of the Kyiv Reservoir. "Someone in an Audi Q8... gets into an accident on the ice. You ask yourself: what were you doing there in a Q8 in the first place? It is simply incomprehensible," Romanenko concluded.
