An offer to become culture minister should have been a no-brainer. As head of Ukraine’s Institute of National Memory, Anton Drobovych had the background. And for many of the previous months, he’d been stuck fighting in the most dangerous operations of Ukraine’s counter-offensive in the Zaporizhia region, or recuperating from serious injuries in hospital. Mr Drobovych did not reject the proposal outright; but his understanding of the political scene in Kyiv was enough to sow doubts. Could he survive re-emerging ideological tussles, briefings and bureaucratic battles? No, he resolved to return to the ranks of his assault-forces unit. “I decided I had more important work on the front lines.”

Mr Droboych is one of a number of Ukrainians straddling two increasingly distinct worlds: the grim reality of a trench war; and an ever more waspish political battleground in Kyiv. When Russia began its invasion in February 2022, competitive politics went into hibernation. They returned as the existential threat to Ukraine decreased later that year. Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak, an opposition mp, says there is still “broad agreement” on fundamental matters of national security. But a prominent mp in the president’s own party says jostling has already made Ukraine “unstable”. Mistakes are being made “on all sides”. And presidential attempts to “centralise decision-making” and “shut down dissent” are having the opposite effect.