The occupation of the whole of Ukraine is the final goal of Russia, retired Lieutenant General Andreas Pendaras told CNA, referring to Putin's announcement of denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine. He estimated that the military part of the operation, due also to the superiority of Russian forces, would last a few days, but did not rule out the possibility of a guerrilla war that could lead to a protracted period until the end of hostilities.
Commenting on developments in Ukraine, Pendaras said Russia had followed the classic method of attacking a country starting with the destruction of air defense radar and other infrastructure - with precision-guided bombardment from planes and even artillery. Then the air force destroys strategic targets such as command and control centers, communications centers, transportation hubs, defense industry factories, army bases. Then come the ground forces, he said. "I think this is the pattern the Russians have applied and are applying."
War, Pendaras continued, has a political and military purpose. The political one was determined by the Russian President's announcement this morning and it is the denazification of Ukraine, which means a change of government - as he said - and demilitarization. "To achieve these two goals, the whole of Ukraine must be occupied. A total occupation of Ukraine. A part of it cannot be left intact so that it can develop relations with other countries. Because the new government, controlled by Moscow, will not be able to control the whole of Ukraine."
Pentaras said that demilitarizing a country is contrary to international law since Article 51 of the UN Charter establishes the right to self-defense for every state. It is a classic right of every state to determine its defence and no one else can do this, he noted. "I suppose this is something that Russia will impose by force as long as it is in Ukraine or as long as Ukraine is under its occupation."
There is no demilitarized country in the world with a signed international agreement, he added; there are small countries without armed forces that have chosen to do so and can create them whenever they want.
Russia's argument for expanding NATO to countries sensitive to it, Andreas Pendaras said it was a 1997 NATO-Russia gentlemen's agreement in the founding act and is not recorded anywhere, precisely because it is contrary to international law. NATO, when it saw that Russia was regaining its lost glory and power and rearming, decided to extend its influence to the former eastern coalition countries. This is what Moscow seeks to end, he added, and it is clearly stated in Vladimir Putin's latest letter to the US President, demanding American withdrawal from the central, eastern Baltic countries and SE Europe, which includes Greece.
In response to a question about the Ukrainian President's statement that they will give weapons to any Ukrainian citizen who wants them and whether this will lead to a guerrilla war. Pendaras said that any citizen holding a weapon is considered a soldier and thus is treated as such by the opponent.
[/P]The operations, because of Russia's superiority and superiority, he continued, will obviously last a few days. "I estimate that it will not take much time to occupy the whole of Ukraine. From then on, no one can estimate how things will turn out." He gave the example of Iraq, which the US occupied in 13 days with minimal casualties, but the war - he said - ended after 12 years because a kind of guerrilla war ensued and the Americans had 3,000 dead. The same, he added, happened with the Russians in Afghanistan in 1979. "Very likely we'll see it again. There will also be NATO support by military means to Ukraine. Not in personnel because it cannot, Ukraine is not a member of NATO."
This war can last a long time, with guerrilla warfare, he concluded.
Source: CNA
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