The war of a new type and challenges for Europe
Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom Valerii Zaluzhnyi stated that the world is entering a phase of war of a new type, where technologies allow less powerful states to effectively confront stronger ones. He expressed this opinion in a column for the publication 'Apostroph'. Zaluzhnyi, who is a former Chief Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, emphasized that an example of such a situation is the Middle East.
Zaluzhnyi also noted that protection against modern military systems, particularly on the battlefield, is virtually non-existent today.
'It should be noted that there is currently no protection against such systems, as well as on the battlefield. And if there is, it leads to the following conclusion - that it is the most accessible tool to make the economy of war extremely expensive and impossible for the continuation of such actions.' - Valerii ZaluzhnyiAccording to him, modern air defense cannot guarantee protection against combined attacks.
Control of energy resources and threats to Europe
Valerii Zaluzhnyi indicated that for controlling energy resource flows, it is no longer necessary to have large industrial capabilities or expensive military systems.
'It is absolutely impossible to protect this infrastructure today. Therefore, to control the flows of energy resources, it is no longer necessary to have Krupp factories and prohibitively expensive air and missile forces.' - Valerii Zaluzhnyi
The ambassador also emphasized that Russia is an obvious enemy for Europe. He noted that despite this, internal disagreements within NATO, doctrinal and technical backwardness, as well as the position of the USA did not provide Europe with the necessary impetus to form its own defense force. 'Europe and Britain are not yet forming a vision for a future response to threats. No industrial revolution will help here,' - Zaluzhnyi stated.
Zaluzhnyi highlighted the importance of a state's readiness for war, which includes not only military resources but also management, logistics, and social aspects. 'The point is that if we are talking about a force capable of protecting or preventing, this force must be able to fight. But it is not only weapons that fight, but also people,' - he emphasized.
In conclusion, Zaluzhnyi noted that lost opportunities are not yet final. 'This should have been done yesterday. However, lost time does not mean lost opportunities,' - he summarized.
The opinions expressed by Valerii Zaluzhnyi underline the importance of adapting to new military realities, where technologies change the rules of the game. In the context of modern conflicts, where traditional military forces may be insufficient, there is a need to focus on innovations and new approaches to defense. This also calls into question traditional security models in Europe, indicating the need for more flexible and rapid responses to new challenges. Accordingly, this requires active cooperation between states and the creation of joint strategies to protect against external threats.
In the context of the war of a new type, as mentioned by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, it is important to pay attention to how available technologies are changing the situation in the Middle East. This may provide insight into possible scenarios for the development of events in other regions, particularly in Europe, and emphasize the importance of adapting to new challenges.