There is a hybrid war going on around Ukraine now. Russia does not give up its intentions to force our state to turn off the pro-Western path, although it will probably not decide on a full-scale bloody military invasion.
This opinion was expressed on the air of one of the Polish TV channels by a retired major general, professor at the Jagiellonian University Bohuslaw Patsek.
He noted that the situation around the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is still at an impasse.
“It is clear that neither Vladimir Putin, nor the Russian Federation, nor the Western side, the United States and other countries are going to give up their positions even a millimeter,” the general said.
Bohuslav Patsek recalled that Moscow is pushing the West towards so-called security guarantees that are impossible to implement: in particular, it is demanding that NATO return to the 1997 borders. At the same time, the West, according to the general, is determined and rejects these ultimatums from the Kremlin.
Bohuslav Patsek also explained that Russia wants to force Ukraine to turn off the pro-Western path, start cooperating with Moscow and enter, like Belarus, into close ties with the Russian Federation, to be in the sphere of Russian influence.
– The Russians call it ensuring their own security, but it's not just about security. Ukraine does not want this,” the general said.
Commenting on the Russian military exercises on the territory of Belarus, Patsek expressed the opinion that Russia would not dare to start a full-scale bloody war with Ukraine. As the Polish general emphasized, such actions “would involve the Russian Federation in a big adventure for many years,” and this is “absolutely not in the interests” of Moscow.
Patzek added that the current situation could be called a cold war, a hybrid war, or an unconventional war.
We can call it by different names. This has been going on for a long time. Some elements last not for months, but for years,” he recalled.
Commenting on the evacuation of American diplomats from Ukraine and the redeployment of the US military, Patsek stressed that there is now a “tough psychological war on both sides” (the Western countries and the Russian Federation).
“This is a hybrid war. Both sides have something to win,” the general informed.
Separately, Patsek commented on the current state of the Ukrainian armed forces. According to him, compared to 2014, now it is a completely different army, and the changes are revolutionary.
– It's not just about the help of the West. Ukraine itself has done a lot when it comes to military potential. And today it is a completely different army,” the general noted.
