The former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and now a diplomat, Valeriy Zaluzhny, wrote a column for the glamorous edition of Vogue. Quite calm reflections on the Russified military towns of the 1970s, female volunteers, and his first traditional embroidered shirt in adulthood once again caused heated discussions.The main counterargument that I saw from those who follow any of Zaluzhnyi's public outings sounded like this: "Some people are dying, and some are doing modeling. Now is not time."Let's not forget that in the fall of 2023, the then-current Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces wrote a detailed article for The Economist about the challenges of war and the need for new technologies. Then Bankova was so jealous of the crazy citation rate of that material that in the end it resulted in a very insidious dismissal with further nonsense and a campaign of hate in the court telegram channels.Because no matter what Zaluzhnyi does — even when he posts a family photo without captions — it will bother the minds that will want to find the rot and tell it on white walls.Zaluzhnyi's appearance with a column in an outlet that is not associated with any political force, and which is definitely read by wide segments of the population, is a good idea.After all, the main message will be read even by those who are interested in new models of sneakers for the fall season and how to come to the office stylishly in jeans and be elegant.This thesis sounds like this: "Every day in war is either a new lesson or death. It is better to learn these lessons without war. Otherwise, you will have to learn them from the experience of those who managed to survive them."And who can know this better than the general who spent the first two years of the large-scale war and became a victim of backroom intrigues against the backdrop of Avdiivka? No one would have said it better - if we do not learn the lessons that mined borders and effective managers are above all else, we can already say goodbye to new occupied territories.The second point. The unethical removal of Zaluzhnyi from his post has sown in the souls of many the impression of a "stolen victory", and also an attempt to erase the new face of the Ukrainian army, which began to fade among the fuel oil, sweat and soot. Therefore, Valeriy Fedorovych will be forgiven by many, because he is associated with humanity. And moreover, he broke the template of the imposed perception of the military from the early independence times. When it was customary to wipe one's feet on a person in uniform, call him a glutton and envy him because he retires a little earlier.Empathy for a soldier became fashionable after Zaluzhnyi. And, God knows, we will still have people in positions in the General Staff who worry about the soldiers, and not about what the Telegram man Roman wrote about them.We should not forget that all those things — the unsightly and sad challenges that Zaluzhnyi wrote about in sensational materials for The Economist — have become our reality. Russia has really managed to adapt to the war of modern technologies. And it is our pity that, for political ambitions, we have wasted some things incompetently.I sincerely welcome the photo shoots and columns of the military in the status gloss. In the spring of 2024, Vogue already did a pretty good photo shoot with cadets of the Ivan Bohun Military Lyceum and female military volunteers. Although many wrote at the time that this was a romanticization of war, and how could it be, the civilian model dared to laugh in the company of boys who would soon go to the trenches - it was a useful first attempt. Because in the end, our people survived because we had an army, and it was from the army in all its forms that the real Ukrainian elite emerged.It was this way in the past, and it will remain so — because we are a war-hardened people who understand that killing someone who comes to kill you is not a sin, but protecting those dearest to you, those who will carry on your lineage and bear the banner through the ages. Once again, our army is becoming a powerful force in society - and let the single-format telethons, the relics from the Inter channel, and the exiles from Medvedchuk’s media empire say what they will.The lessons that Zaluzhnyi gives are simple and quite banal, but at least someone formulated them. And for that, respect to the general.Finally, I will quote the one that spoke to me personally:"When fighting a larger enemy alone, think: what victory do you want and can get now, and what - in the future. Decisions have their time. It is not always now."For myself, I decipher it this way - we do not know for sure how the current phase of the war with Russia will end. But it is in our power to change the final battle and we must prepare for it now. And not promise people a quick and painless peace, and then throw up our hands that you were fooled.All unsuccessful decisions of the current war must be analyzed. So that we are never again expected by either "Bakhmut communication cases" or the foolish Maryanas who try to cover up their interference in the army with mental problems.Exclusively for EspresoAbout the author: Marina Danylyuk-Yarmolaeva, journalistThe editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.