There has never been a war like this, so all media analyses are superficial and can be dangerous – National Security Council Secretary
The international press and analysts in their judgments and conclusions about the course of the war in Ukraine often rely on either outdated or unexamined data, so their statements are often superficial and can do more harm than good, according Oleksii Danilov, National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) Secretary.
Source: NSDC Secretary on Facebook
Details: According to Danilov, there has been a recent increase in publications, including in the international media, that talk about the "slow Ukrainian counteroffensive", "wrong direction of the attack", "dispersion of forces", "heavy losses of equipment", "misuse of funds" and many other topics that are picked up by the Ukrainian media and "with particular pleasure" replicated by Russian propagandists.
At the same time, according to the NSDC Secretary, both the international press and analysts, in their pursuit of "likes", do not take into account that there has not been a war like this since World War II. Moreover, technologies and weapons have changed significantly in recent years, and all the processes taking place both at the front and in the country as a whole are new, and therefore require a more thorough study, as their consequences may not be immediately apparent.
Danilov called for focusing on seven points when analysing the war:
- 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 with the world's first nuclear arsenal and which was the country that guaranteed its security.
Moreover, Ukraine is forced to fight and resist the aggressor in a situation where the entire country is within the line of fire of the state that is at war with it.
Danilov emphasises that such circumstances have never been seen in the world before.
- After 1945, Europe had no experience of successfully managing and leading armed forces of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in a full-scale war. Ukraine is currently gaining this experience by fighting an army that is superior in both numbers and weapons.
Danilov emphasised that the established military doctrines are not working at the moment, and current commanders, generals or admirals of the EU, the US or NATO are already guided by the Ukrainian experience.
- 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 was in the 1930s and 1940s. The Ukrainian military is now gaining this experience and knowledge.
- A full-fledged front line of thousands of kilometres has not crossed Europe for almost 80 years. During this time, at least three generations have grown up, giving the world officers, journalists, experts and politicians who have never known war.
- Experts analysing and commenting on the course of Ukrainian resistance to Russia are forced to rely on old knowledge and do not have updated theoretical knowledge, as it is only being formed. Moreover, at present, all the latest theoretical knowledge is immediately tested in practice by Ukrainian soldiers.
Danilov believes that this is why all assessments and forecasts regarding the course of the war should be taken with this in mind.
- The logistical challenges facing Ukraine have become perhaps the largest since the end of World War II. Danilov explained that this war involves millions of tonnes of military and related supplies, tens of thousands of contracts and procurements, thousands of suppliers, and hundreds of thousands of kilometres of complex transportation routes. Moreover, the main logistics centre is located outside the consumer country, and everything is needed at the frontline "immediately and urgently".
- Ukraine was the first country in the 21st 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.
The NSDC Secretary stressed that in this century, no other country has used modern weapons based on innovative technologies in such numbers and with such intensity.
"In the face of extremely complex processes related to the war and many other events, journalistic work requires exceptionally high professionalism, knowledge and understanding of details. Instead, unfortunately, we often see superficial judgements, incompetence and not a desire to find the truth, but rather a momentary sensation.
When you fight 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," Danilov concluded.
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