Ukraine continues its struggle for independence. In order to strengthen its statehood and sovereignty, Ukraine has to make many steps, including forming world class universities. In addition to financial, technical and military aid, international help is needed to form autonomous world class universities in Ukraine. After many years of inaction, the World Bank finally comes to Ukraine’s higher education sector. The World Bank comes with a large project, with an approved $200 million loan, announced in May 2021. The project begins in the fall of 2021 and will last until the end of 2026. The project, entitled “Ukraine Improving Higher Education for Results Project,” has the objective to improve the efficiency, conditions for quality, and transparency in Ukraine’s higher education system. The project facilitates university mergers. However, there is no certainty regarding the understanding of the true magnitude of the problems on the ground. When it comes to the project implementation, the World Bank will unavoidably face the challenges of over‑bureaucratization, institutional rigidity, Stalinist legacies, and corruption. Furthermore, a no less significant challenge — the full‑scale military aggression against Ukraine that started in February 2014 and drastically amplified in February 2022 — makes the realization of the World Bank project even more difficult, if not impossible.