The Ukrainian army has shown that, with political will, it can stop Russia’s aggression. As pointed out Tim Stuchteyprofessor and executive director of the Brandenburg Institute for Society and Security (BIGS), in statements to the newspaper Putin’s considerations of “denazifying” Ukraine are “nonsense” and “sheer absurdity.”
As he himself explains in the media, it is intended to explain “why Russians must be willing to sacrifice material resources, human lives and tolerate such levels of suffering.” “Even in a dictatorship, this requires explanations, because even dictators are sometimes replaced,” he adds.
Stuchtey acknowledges in his statements that he feels surprised by the duration of the war. “My perception is also shaped by my socialization as a young man and soldier who, in 1988, defended NATO against the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact,” he confesses.
“At that time, We had a certain fear and respect for the magnitude of the Soviet army. And Russia was perceived as the direct military heir to that force,” he explains. “So, like many others, I was surprised that Ukraine could defend itself so successfully.”
The key: international cooperation in the cause
For the expert, international cooperation has been key in the development of the war in Ukraine. At first, a small army like the Ukrainian one managed “not only stop the advance of Russian troops, but retreat them”. The current Ukrainian army is “well equipped and capable of significantly slowing down the Russian advance,” he says.
“In the end, this has also led to a more realistic image in the West of Russia’s conventional capabilities,” he says. “The war shows that when there is the will to defend oneself, and the infrastructure, one can resist the Russians.”
Lastly, it ensures that Russian troops in Ukraine “seem poorly led, poorly organized and weakly motivated.” “kyiv shows how resilient it is and that, in cooperation with its partners, Russia can be stopped,” he says. “Europe is capable of creating a significant deterrent potential, if it so wishes,” he concludes.
