'It always uses unwanted people.' Ukrainian historian names strengths and weaknesses of Russian army
Strengths and weaknesses of the Russian army (photo: Getty Images)
Russians like to call themselves the "second army of the world." Their armed forces are indeed very large, but practice shows that their greatness is exaggerated. Like any army, they have strengths and weaknesses. And Ukraine needs to take into account all aspects of the enemy to win, states Oleksandr Alfyorov, Ukrainian historian and military officer in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Strengths and weaknesses of the Russian army
"The Russian army is an army built on the models of the eighteenth century. It's an army of officers, where a soldier is a cog, meat, trash. Its strength is its mass. And also the vertical, which is capable of killing thousands, tens, hundreds, millions of people. The weakness is that Russians are not able to fight for a long time. All of their wars last 1.5-2 years, and if they don't get help, they lose. This is the way of things," the historian says.
He emphasizes that North Korea, Iran, and China are Russia's sponsors. Without their support, Russians cannot fight.
"The Russian army is quickly running out of steam. It is aimed at a quick offensive, and they cannot fight for a long time without help. And this has already been confirmed - they can no longer fight without foreign equipment," says Alfyorov.
Russian army was feared, but not because of its bravery
"The Russian army is the heir to the Soviet army, and the latter to the Russian imperial army, which was formed during the time of serfdom. Back then, knights fought in Europe, while in our country it was the nobility. This is a stratum of the population that pays a tax in blood. In Russia, this layer was minimal, and they used serfs to fight. When the war began, the tsar-emperor issued a decree: every landowner had to give a certain number of serfs to the army. And who were they giving away without pity? Morons," the soldier explains.
The historian emphasizes that Russia has always used unwanted people to fight. Sometimes political prisoners were sent to the army along with serfs, like our Shevchenko.
"Yes, the Russian army was feared in Europe, but not for its valor, courage, and bravery. They were afraid of it because it was a cattle herd. In Russia, there is not a single ordinary person who is a hero. Their heroes are the senior officers. It was only when Russia lost the Crimean War that heroes appeared, and they were named Shevchenko and Kishka, Ukrainians," says Alfyorov.
He adds that our army is proactive, while theirs is a massively passive army, not loyal, but with a great fear of officers. There is a gap between an officer and a private. In the Ukrainian army, it's the other way around.
You can see the full conversation with Oleksandr Alfyorov in the video below.
