Is Ukraine undefeatable?
General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine spoke at an event at the Tank museum in Bovington, Dorset, U.K.
The general gave a measured and statesman like address amongst the Russian and Ukrainian tanks on display. His quiet dignified resolve, that Ukraine will keep fighting the tyranny from the east for as long as it takes, is in stark contrast to the bluff and bluster from the man in the White House who wants to bribe and be bribed to end the killing in Ukraine. General Zaluzhnyi also made it clear how very important Britain’s steadfast support has been from the outset and the vital role the British Army has had in training thousands of conscripts. Boris Johnson, this time, must take huge credit for getting behind Kyiv from the outset, as also should Sir Keir Starmer who is galvanising Europe to stand up the tyrant in the Kremlin.
Ukraine, with British help, and other members of the “Coalition of the Willing” is sorting out its manpower problem, whereas Russia just throws untrained conscripts to their certain death in the meat grinder of the front. Putin’s latest mobilisation of 150,000 young Russians could be his latest and most damaging strategic error. When he tried a similar mobilisation at the beginning of the war, thousands of Russians “patriots” fled the country, and now the” Mothers of Russia” are rising against him if recent reports are to be believed. He knows, more than most, that it was the mothers who forced the Kremlin to withdraw in defeat from Afghanistan in 1984, and defeat in Ukraine will not lead to a peaceful retirement for the Russian dictator.
General Zaluzhnyi gave me confidence that the UK and Europe can help Ukraine prevail with or without Trump. At last Europe is getting serious about its own defence, and at least Trump’s ramblings have made this possible. I know military planners have been burning the midnight oil for months to assemble and train a force capable of enforcing a peace in Ukraine. This also involves drawing up plans to assemble an air defence force of around 140 fighter jets to secure the skies and create a ‘No Fly Zone’ over the front lines.
The Russian air force is in similar disarray to its Navy and Army and this considerable show of resolve by Europe, led by the UK and France, should be enough to hold and turn the Russians: even if the Americans refuse to get out of their trench to help, as their forebears always did in the past.
For thirty years, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon has served and volunteered in conflict zones around the world. As the army's foremost chemical weapons expert, he built a unique first-hand understanding of how to prevent attacks and train doctors on the frontline - saving countless lives in the process.