Such articles are published in reputable publications, signed by well-known journalists and experts, are widely disseminated, and have obvious consequences that hardly contribute to the morale and national resilience of any country at war. Although, of course, an objective outsider's view is always important.
However, on account of certain information trend, that may be preparing the ground and subtly pushing Ukrainians to compromise and negotiations, it seems necessary to arm ourselves with a number of important arguments that are preferred not to be written about and, moreover, not widely discussed in the West and in the world.
The first and most important thing is to realise that Ukraine is forced to act at the limit point of its ability, to carry out a full-scale conventional war on the European continent against a nuclear state, while holding the strategic initiative. Was this easy to imagine before 24 February, 2022? Hence all the other derivatives: lack of experience and incomplete knowledge are features that must be taken into account when analysing when we are criticised or given advice.
So we have to remember:
1. Before Russia's attack on Ukraine, no state or president in the world had ever faced a direct threat of destruction of an entire nation from a country that has the world's first nuclear arsenal and was the country that guaranteed its security. At the same time, Ukraine is forced to fight and resist the aggressor in a situation where the entire country is in the zone of potential enemy missile strikes - a situation that has never been seen in world practice.
2. After 1945, the European continent had no experience of successful management and leadership of armed forces of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in a full-scale conventional war, but the Ukrainian Defence Forces have it. At the same time, they are facing an enemy army that is superior in numbers and weapons. Current commanders, generals or admirals of the EU, the US or NATO are guided by the Ukrainian experience, while theorists are forced to edit established military doctrines.
3. The last time plans for defence, offensive and counteroffensive in a full-scale war on the European continent were developed by the general staffs of different countries in the 1930s and 1940s. This period also includes the practice of commanding (in conditions of combat operations, not exercises) corps and brigades with thousands of pieces of equipment. This experience and knowledge is being gained by the Ukrainian military.
4. Never in almost 80 years has a full-scale front line of thousands of kilometers crossed Europe. During this time, at least three generations have grown up, giving the world officers, journalists, experts and politicians who have never known war.
5. Experts analysing and commenting on the course of Ukrainian resistance to Russian aggression are forced to rely on old knowledge and do not have updated theoretical base (it is only being formed), tested by the practice of Ukrainian warfare. Therefore, all assessments and forecasts of the course of the war should be taken with this in mind.
6. The logistical challenges facing Ukraine are perhaps the largest since the end of World War II. Millions of tons of military and related cargo, tens of thousands of contracts and procurements, thousands of suppliers, and hundreds of thousands of kilometers of complex transportation routes. The absolute uniqueness of the situation is that the main logistics center is located outside the consumer country. As soon as possible. The situation "delay is death".
7. Ukraine was the first country in the twenty-first century to create comprehensive operational systems for battle management and troop control in a revolutionary short period of time, and to test them in real-world conditions. In this century, no country has used so many modern weapons based on innovative technologies so intensively.
And the last thing I would like to say is about the special role and place of the information component in the war waged by Russia against Ukraine.
Ukrainians highly trust independent journalists. The media can create an idol or destroy a reputation at one stroke. And while the "sensation" will be printed on the front page and in large letters, the refutation will be on the last pages and in tiny print.
But in the context of extremely complex processes related to the war and many other events, journalistic work requires exceptionally high professionalism, knowledge and the ability to deep into details. Instead, we often see superficial judgments, incompetence, unwillingness to find the truth, but a one-time sensation.
When you look for “likes”, you can get carried away and lose the country.
Information can be a medicine, but at the same time it can also turn into a poison.
