– I think unfortunately we can end up in war against Russia, wrote associate professor at the Danish Defense Academy Claus Mathiesen on Twitter on Friday 8 April.
He justifies this by saying that as the war draws to a close and attacks on civilians intensify, NATO is being forced to enter the country itself.
– NATO must ask itself: How long will we stand, partly passively, and watch? Because that is what we are doing in the West right now, we must admit that, says Mathiesen Danish TV2who first mentioned the case.
Unfortunately, I think we could end up in a war against Russia. Not a world war, other global players, China, India and more, are not interested.
What Ukraine is defending and Russia’s warfare means that at some point we will enter.– Claus Mathiesen (@ clausmat1) April 8, 2022
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Associate Professor at the Defense Staff College Tom Røseth and former Chief of Defense Sverre Diesen agree that the brutal images from Ukraine, which can look like war crimes, are putting pressure on the West and NATO.
Nevertheless, the Norwegian researchers believe that NATO and the West will only contribute by increasing arms support and financial support.
– Both NATO and the USA have said that it will not be relevant to enter Ukraine with military forces, Røseth emphasizes.
DOUBTS: Associate Professor at Staff School Tom Røseth does not think NATO will be pushed so far that they enter Ukraine. Photo: The Armed Forces
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– Grotesque record
On Friday, a major attack on one was reported train station in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. According to Ukrainian authorities, two Russian rockets hit the train station, which has been used as a refuge for civilians evacuated from areas under Russian airstrikes.
The authorities in the country state that around 50 are said to have been killed, among them children, and around 100 people have been injured.
According to Danish Mathiesen, there are attacks in the degree of brutality that can force NATO to enter Ukraine.
– Such reports mean that the West may have to reconsider what they want, says the associate professor to Danish TV2.
Former Chief of Defense Sverre Diesen calls the Russian attack on Kramatorsk “a new grotesque record of Russian brutality”, but he still doubts that the Russians can do anything in the direction that could force NATO and the West to go directly into the war.
RESEARCHER: Former Chief of Defense Sverre Diesen is currently employed as Chief Researcher at FFI. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB
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– But it can undoubtedly contribute to more western countries being willing to go further in supporting Ukrainians also with other weapons than they have received so far, Diesen writes in an e-mail to Dagbladet.
An increase in weapons support will, according to Røseth, help the Ukrainians to more easily prevent such civilian attacks as on Friday 8 April in Kramatorsk.
– These were short-range missiles that could have been stopped by an air defense if the Ukrainians had had proper systems for it, explains the associate professor, who believes in May, when the ground has dried, will see other acts of war than so far.
In the case of Danish TV2, Mathiesen’s also meets opposition from a military analyst at the Danish Defense Academy, Kristian Lindhardt.
“Going to war with Russia is so final, so I simply do not think that NATO will do it of its own free will,” he told the newspaper.
– Rape is a weapon of war
Other warfare
Røseth tells Dagbladet that Donbas sees the beginning of a different type of warfare where the needs are different than in a city warfare, which we have seen most of until now.
– It is not city wars, but more classic war maneuvers with tanks and trenches where you have to move fast to not be vulnerable.
He further explains that it can therefore be more challenging for the Ukrainians to defend themselves there than in the cities.
– Then they need in addition to anti-tank and sting the opportunity to strike out Russian anti-aircraft weapons to, among other things, secure helicopter support in the Donbas area.
– But how long can NATO continue to provide weapons?
Diesen believes that apart from the Polish MiG-29 fighter jets and S-300 air defense systems from Bulgaria, the West does not have as many weapon systems left as Ukrainians are aware of.
– This means that more comprehensive support will have to be about Western weapons they are not aware of, which presupposes time-consuming training and building up logistics, Diesen explains.
However, the former defense chief believes that the lack of progress on the part of Russia could drag the war out and give time to start introducing completely modern, western weapons in Ukraine.
The ruthless violence of war against nature
War crimes
In the last week, the topic of whether war crimes are taking place has become more and more relevant. After Friday’s attack in Kramatorsk, accusations against Putin have been further intensified.
