When will the war end: what fortune-tellers, psychics, AI and experts are saying
The question of when the war will end has once again become one of the most popular topics in the Ukrainian media landscape. Whereas previously such discussions were mainly led by politicians, military personnel and analysts, now fortune-tellers, tarot readers, astrologers and even artificial intelligence have actively joined the fray. It is telling that very different sources are increasingly converging on a single timeframe – 2026.
It is precisely around 2026 that most public ‘predictions’ are currently centred. Molfars and other public seers link the end of the war to the so-called four-year cycle. This refers to the very same “four” that has been mentioned time and again in publications about predictions regarding the war: four years from the start of the full-scale invasion points precisely to 2026. This logic has not disappeared from recent comments either – we are now hearing talk of “significant changes” specifically in 2026.
But even within this esoteric sphere, almost no one is promising a simple and swift peace anymore. On the contrary, a different view is increasingly being voiced: if any agreement does emerge, it will not necessarily mean a normal and stable peace. In other words, even molfars and tarot readers are increasingly speaking not of an end, but of a turning point or a difficult transitional phase.
Artificial intelligence is coming to much the same conclusion. In public media experiments, ChatGPT and Claude do not paint a rosy picture of a swift end to the war either. Most often, they suggest a scenario in which the end of 2026 or 2027 becomes a period of change – not necessarily a grand peace, but rather a truce, a freeze, a reduction in the intensity of fighting, or an interim agreement without a definitive political conclusion.
It is precisely this convergence between molfars, tarot readers and AI that currently looks most intriguing. It is clear that one cannot equate them: esotericism has no evidential value, and an algorithm is no prophet. But as a social symptom, it is highly revealing. The country is so weary of war that it is seeking answers everywhere – in analytics, digital models, cards and ‘signs’. And almost everywhere, the same deadline emerges: 2026.
However, if one strips away the mystical veneer, professional analysts are far more cautious in their assessments. Their basic conclusion is this: no one is seriously guaranteeing a swift and comprehensive peace. The most realistic scenario for 2026 currently looks like a period of tough negotiations, protracted stalemates, attempts at agreements, and the parallel continuation of the war.
Moreover, recent weeks have only complicated this picture. The conflict surrounding Iran is drawing the attention of the US and the West, and with it – political momentum, resources and some military priorities. For Ukraine, this is a bad sign, as a protracted Middle East crisis could impact both foreign aid and the very logic of the war of attrition, which Kyiv and its allies effectively shifted to after 2023.
The expert logic here is quite simple. If the war in Iran drags on, Russia could benefit from more expensive energy sources and stabilise its financial position somewhat. For Ukraine, the picture is bleaker: energy imports are becoming more expensive, the burden on Europe as the main donor is growing, and competition for weapons, particularly air defence systems, is becoming even fiercer. In other words, the international situation itself is beginning to work not towards accelerating peace, but towards further complicating the war.
Added to this is the deadlock in negotiations. There are many contacts, many statements, but the main sticking point has not gone away – the territories, the format of possible concessions, and the willingness of the parties to move towards at least an interim formula. This is precisely why two opposing versions have emerged regarding the negotiations. According to one, all of this is political theatre with no real outcome. According to the other, some of the agreements may indeed be taking place behind closed doors, which is why talk of possible deadlines is surfacing.
There is another point that analysts are highlighting: even if hostilities were to subside at some point, this would not yet signify a full-fledged peace. We may be talking about a ceasefire, a freeze, or a long transitional phase without a final political resolution. This is precisely why, in expert assessments, 2026 is more often seen not as the year of a guaranteed end to the war, but as the year when its new format may be determined.
In any case, even the most dispassionate expert analysis currently fails to provide the certainty that the general public craves. No one is naming a specific date. No one guarantees that the war will end in the coming months. And that is precisely why the predictions of fortune-tellers, soothsayers and AI fit so well into the Ukrainian information space: they at least give people a timeframe that neither politicians, nor the military, nor diplomats can provide.
If we put all these theories together, a fairly clear picture emerges. Molfars, tarot readers and astrologers overwhelmingly point to 2026 as a turning point. Artificial intelligence also most often points to the 2026–2027 timeframe. Professional analysts are more cautious in their statements, but they do not rule out that a great deal could be decided during this very period – not necessarily through complete peace, but at least through a change in the nature of the war itself.
Therefore, the simplest conclusion at present is this: 2026 has become the main point of anticipation. For the Molfaroks, it is a turning point. For AI, it is a year of transition. For analysts, it is a year of difficult decisions. And whether it will be the year the war actually ends, no one knows yet.
