“The only thing uniting Ukraine right now is the cemetery,” says Deputy Prime Minister Kuleba

The only thing that unites Ukrainians today is cemeteries.

This was said by Deputy Prime Minister for Ukraine’s Recovery Oleksii Kuleba in an interview with the newspaper Economic Pravda.

He was asked whether the authorities are to blame for Kyiv being detached from reality and not feeling the war.

“It’s always about balance. Let’s just understand: between what do we need to maintain a balance? We have a large military component. An extraordinary burden. What unites our country right now? As a person responsible for regional policy, I can tell you: the cemetery. That’s the only thing that unites our country now. Is the government to blame? Absolutely. Will the government bear responsibility? Absolutely. But we must understand that the main responsibility for all this is not on the government,” the minister replied.

After the article was published, Kuleba asked the outlet’s journalists to clarify his words for readers about cemeteries being a unifying factor.

“The phrase that is being actively discussed was said in a conversation about the difference in experience between people from rear areas and frontline regions—about how differently the war is felt depending on where you live. About how important it is to remember that the war affects all Ukrainians. And unfortunately, today there is not a single community in the country that does not have a cemetery with a Ukrainian flag where a serviceman is buried. Of course, it’s a heavy point, but we must understand every day the sacrifice and the price of Ukrainians’ struggle for their country—about the heroes who gave their lives for their state. That is what the phrase was about,” the official explained.