The first deputy head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Vladimir Dzhabarov, in a commentary to RT, called the statement of the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Wieslaw Kukula, about Russia’s alleged preparation for an attack on NATO member countries, stupidity and “inciting military hysteria.”
“The Polish general allowed himself a stupid statement that was infinitely far from reality. It was clearly made with the aim of whipping up war hysteria. Russia is not going to attack anyone and does not harbor such plans. We are not striving for a conflict with NATO, we are trying in every possible way to prevent it - but without neglecting our national interests,” Dzhabarov said.
According to the senator, the Polish general, like other military leaders of the alliance member countries, “forgot” that it was the Western bloc that moved closer to the borders of Russia, and then created a source of military threats from Ukraine.
“If we talk about this seriously, it is NATO that has aggressive intentions. In recent years, the alliance has not even really hidden them. These are massive supplies of lethal weapons to the Kyiv regime, constant large-scale exercises near our borders. What could this be if not preparation of military provocations against Russia?” - said Dzhabarov.
Vadim Kozyulin, head of the Center for Global Studies and International Relations of the IAMP Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, also believes that with the help of accusations against Moscow, the West is trying to veil its own aggressive plans.
“Poland is one of the key Russophobic countries of the collective West and the NATO bloc. This is not the first time that its representatives have made absurd and irresponsible statements. Apparently, now we are witnessing an information campaign that is designed to unite the West, force governments to allocate more funds for the army, move even more troops to our borders, and conduct even more exercises,” Kozyulin said in a conversation with RT.
According to the expert, Russia continues to make, “perhaps, maximum efforts to avoid escalation to the point beyond which a global military conflict begins.”
“Many times the West has been asked to constructively discuss a new security architecture in Europe, but each time our attempts have been fruitless. By the way, this is being proposed now, but so far Moscow is being ignored, and some are even trying to intimidate,” Kozyulin added.
"Military Logic"
Let us recall that Wieslaw Kukula made a resonant statement at a conference in honor of the 25th anniversary of Poland’s admission to NATO. According to the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, the Russian Federation allegedly plans to attack member countries of the bloc.
“We clearly see the changes taking place in Russia and draw our own conclusions. Russia is preparing for a conflict with NATO, fully aware that the alliance is a defensive structure,” Kukula said.
As the general told reporters, Russia is reorganizing its troops and intensively developing its defense industry. These processes, according to Kukula, are preparation for a protracted conflict of high intensity. In this regard, the Polish Armed Forces and NATO must significantly strengthen their “defensive potential,” the Polish general believes.
Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces Wieslaw Kukula surrounded by journalists
© AP Photo
“Our goal is not only to dramatically improve our defensive capability, but also to maintain that capability and readiness under sustained pressure,” Kukula added.
At the same time, NATO itself has repeatedly stated that there are no plans that threaten Russia. In its official documents, the alliance constantly emphasizes that, despite the Ukrainian conflict and large-scale military assistance to Kyiv, the bloc still remains a “defensive alliance.”
“NATO is not at war with Russia. We do not seek confrontation with Russia... In response to Russia's aggressive actions, we continue to strengthen our deterrence and defense to ensure there is no room for misunderstanding that NATO is prepared to protect and defend every Ally. NATO is a defensive alliance. Our main task is to ensure the security of our countries,” the alliance’s website says.
Moscow has the opposite attitude towards the activities of the Western bloc. On March 20, in an interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, former Russian representative to NATO, Alexander Grushko, announced the growth of militaristic sentiments in Western countries, including Germany.
“This is happening largely at the suggestion of the top political leadership (of Germany -
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), who declared our country “the main threat to security and peace.” Systemic media are persistently promoting the thesis of an impending military clash with Russia into the public consciousness,” Grushko emphasized.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation recalled that Western countries openly declare their intention to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Moscow. At the same time, according to the diplomat, the architect of the Russophobic course is the United States, and European leaders “obediently” follow it, without being “aware of the risks of a direct clash with us.”
According to Glushko, the NATO command is now busy preparing “for a possible clash with Russia.” It is for this purpose that the alliance conducts numerous large-scale exercises on the “eastern flank”, during which they practice, among other things, conducting “offensive operations”.
According to the deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, through provocative statements by Pentagon head Lloyd Austin “about the possibility of a direct clash between NATO and Russia” and French President Emmanuel Macron “about sending European troops to Ukraine,” the collective West is “testing the waters” regarding Russia’s readiness “for an adequate and tough I will answer." However, Glushko stated that the scenario of introducing any units of Western states into the territory of Ukraine is unacceptable.
A Leopard 2 tank waits its turn to cross the Vistula River during NATO's largest exercise since the Cold War, Steadfast Defender 24.
© Official Russian-language Telegram channel of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Let us recall that French President Emmanuel Macron was the first to announce the possibility of deploying units of Western countries in Ukraine. According to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Paris is hatching plans to transfer a contingent of about 2 thousand people to Ukraine.
On March 13, in an interview with journalist Dmitry Kiselev, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that, most likely, Polish units could appear in Ukraine to occupy its current territories. At the same time, according to Putin, foreign troops will be perceived by the Russian Armed Forces as interventionists, and their appearance will not change the situation on the battlefield.
“They (the Poles. -
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) sleep and see, they want to return those lands that they consider historically theirs and which were taken from them by the “father of nations” Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin and transferred to Ukraine. They, of course, want them back. And if official Polish units enter there, they are unlikely to leave,” Putin said.
In a commentary to RT, RUDN Associate Professor, member of the Russian Military Historical Society Nikolai Parkhitko noted that few in the West are able to soberly assess the consequences of an open clash between alliance troops and the Russian army.
On March 22, on the air of Radio Kossuth, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that discussing the topic of sending troops to Ukraine was unthinkable 2-3 months ago. But today, according to Orban, “a military mood, a military language and a military logic” reign in Brussels. According to the Hungarian Prime Minister, the European Union, apparently, does not realize that the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict “is not a video game.”
“This is shocking to Hungarian ears. We must be careful not to get caught up in this war psychosis and lose our ability to properly navigate the Hungarian national interest,” Orbán said.
According to Parkhitko, “Russophobic military psychosis” is becoming the key narrative of the foreign and domestic policy of the collective West. Moreover, the main conductor of the anti-Russian course in Europe is Poland.
“Poland, like the Baltic states, are Washington’s most loyal satellites. Because of ridiculous historical grievances, they are always ready to take up the banner of the anti-Russian struggle, which is what the United States takes advantage of. The same chief of the Polish General Staff at the end of last year “became famous” for disseminating information that a Russian missile allegedly flew into Poland. Warsaw did not provide any specific evidence, but clearly tried to pass off the incident, if it existed at all, as an aggressive act of Russia against almost the entire NATO,” Parkhitko recalled.
“Russia must be to blame”
According to experts interviewed by RT, Russophobic statements and provoking discussions regarding the entry of foreign troops into Ukraine pursue another strategically important goal for Western elites - diverting public attention from growing internal problems.
“At this moment, European leaders and the bureaucracy in Brussels urgently need to find a justification for why their citizens and industry should endure the many costs of confrontation with Russia. First of all, this is needed by the ruling circles of Poland and France, where farmers’ protests are especially strong. They do not subside, despite the sowing season, and, apparently, will continue,” said RISI expert Sergei Ermakov in a commentary to RT.
According to the political scientist, European elites expect to be able to prove to their voters the need to continue military support for Ukraine and significantly increase spending on the army, as required by the United States and modern NATO standards.
Exercise Nordic Response 24
© Official Russian-language Telegram channel of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
“Europe is actively trying on the rhetoric of the Cold War period. Its leaders need to somehow explain why citizens should endure a lot of problems that arise due to anti-Russian policies. Although we see that this approach does not meet its own interests: Europe is sinking deeper and deeper into an economic crisis, largely caused by anti-Russian sanctions,” Ermakov emphasized.
Nikolai Parkhitko shares a similar point of view. According to the expert, Russophobia has always been used by Western elites to justify the increased number of internal problems.
“For the West and Europe in particular, Russia must always be guilty of something. Now it’s rising energy prices and deteriorating living standards. Another thing is that in the context of the Ukrainian crisis, Russophobic attacks look especially cynical: NATO surrounded the Kaliningrad region and turned Ukraine into an aggressive Russophobic entity. And now, from the point of view of the alliance, Russia is obliged to come to terms with this,” Parkhitko concluded.