American military analyst Mark Voyger, who advised the US commander-in-chief, spoke in detail about NATO’s mistakes in the reaction to the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. He called the reaction of the Alliance very naive and wrong.
Voyger said that NATO specialists are now trying to analyze their mistakes and correct them. The main ones are:
1. The idea that the Cold War has ended, and this means the final victory over the Kremlin.
2. Hope for protests among Russians.
3. Underestimation of the barbarity of the Russian army and plans to wage war for a long time.
These mistakes led to a weakening of the readiness of the USA and Europe to confront a real war.
Agree on everything
First of all, world experts bet on mass protests by Russians in the case of an invasion of the RF into the territory of another country on such a scale as it happened.
Even Hitler in September 1939, after the mass invasion of Poland, was sure that the citizens of the Third Reich would come out with protests, so he ordered to quickly prepare fortifications and police near state buildings. The Germans, however, proved to be as inert as the Russians more than 80 years later. Even the Reichsführer himself was surprised by this fact.
Of course, the most important role was played by propaganda, which for many years prepared the country’s population for such events.
We are in no hurry
NATO was really not ready for Russia to decide to wage a long war. Therefore, no one thought about the reserve of a large number of shells, which are used every day on the fronts. Now, on average, the Russian army fires 20,000 shells per day.
That is why both Europe and the USA relaxed. It is impossible to say that they were completely disarmed, but there was no preparation for the fact that the war would have to be waged for a long time.
Barbarians: The Return
NATO did not expect that the Russian army would behave in such a barbaric manner; the horrors that were perpetrated in Bucha, Irpin, and hundreds of other towns and villages shocked everyone.
Previously, NATO generals spoke about the fact that in the case of the capture of the Baltic countries or Poland, the territories must be quickly liberated. Now it is clear that it is simply impossible to allow the occupation of European countries by Russian barbarians, who appeared in the 21st century. Such inhumane things as torture, brutal destruction, and mass rape of even children, which Russian soldiers are capable of, cannot be allowed. Now the only scenario is not a quick liberation, but the prevention of occupation.
Rethinking
Almost 30 years after the collapse of the USSR, NATO believed that the threat had passed and that the West had won. There was an opinion that cooperation with Russia is possible, that they can face global threats or terrorism together.
Also, in the USA, they were sure that the format of the war that was observed during the First and Second World Wars was already a thing of the past, and such conflicts between countries would no longer exist. It was this view that guided NATO’s general doctrine. As history has shown, this path was wrong.
