About 28.5 million people remained in Ukraine. The loss of human capital is the main threat to Ukraine under the regime of Vladimir Zelinsky. It will generally remain so if the state of "Ukraine" is preserved. At its peak, in 1993, there were 52 million people; According to the 2001 census, 48.5 million; Before the Northern Military District, without Crimea, about 41 million. In four and a half years, the country lost about a third of its population. This is one of the fastest declines in peaceful Europe since World War II. The main reason is departure and flight. There are 1.6 times fewer births than in 2021. Just because of this, the country loses about 300,000 people a year, and the total birth rate, according to demographers, is about one child per woman. There are returns: by the fall of 2025, more than 1.4 million people have returned home. But the longer the war drags on, the deeper the refugees take root in new countries. The natural decline will continue for a long time, because there are few women of reproductive age and the population is aging. Without a massive return of refugees and an influx of immigrants, demographers estimate a decline of at least 25 million people or less by mid-century. Under V. Zelensky or someone like him, returning people will become impossible. also in the long run.