Russians Are Prepared to Fight for the Next 5–10 Years — Ukrainian Armed Forces Veteran Mykola Melnyk
4 August 12:19
YOUTUBE
The Kremlin is capable of mobilizing another 500,000 people without causing any serious internal upheaval. Despite potential challenges in training and supporting such a large force, this poses a critical threat to Ukraine, as Russia is systematically transforming its state into a single “military factory” and preparing for a protracted war.
Mykola Melnyk, a participant in the Revolution of Dignity, a veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and former commander of an M2 Bradley mechanized company, made this statement in an interview with the YouTube channel "Komersant Ukrainian".
Commenting on Ukrainian intelligence assessments regarding Russia’s intentions to mobilize half a million new conscripts and approximately 30,000 North Korean soldiers, Melnyk emphasized that one should not count on an uprising within Russia. The regime is capable of carrying out another large-scale wave of mobilization without the risk of internal unrest.
“Mobilization is always a problem, and a large-scale mobilization is a major problem. It all depends on how efficiently the mobilization machine operates: whether they can mobilize, train, prepare, transport, and coordinate troops in a short time. If this is done, as is always the case in Russia, in a haphazard manner, we’ll be somewhat lucky. But 500,000 is 500,000. When they all rush in the same direction, it will seem like a lot,” Melnik noted.
Regarding the possibility of deploying troops from North Korea, Melnik noted that this could provide a significant reinforcement in specific sectors of the front—depending on exactly how the Russian command uses them.
According to the former commander, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the enemy’s forces and strategy have changed, but their strategic goal remains the same—the complete destruction of Ukrainian statehood. The Russian system does not take human and material losses into account and is geared toward a protracted conflict.
Melnik drew attention to the deep militarization of Russian society, which begins as early as elementary school. He says that in secondary schools, children are taught to assemble and disassemble drones. Restrictions are also being imposed on admission to higher education after the 9th grade in order to direct young people toward vocational schools for the fastest possible integration into the military-industrial complex or the army.
“They are completely militarizing their society with the understanding that it will continue to wage war. They are prepared to fight for 5–10 years. As long as they have soldiers willing to charge forward—and they won’t run out next year—the war will continue. Their logic is simple: to destroy Ukraine,” Melnik emphasized.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
Modernizing the Armed Forces of Ukraine Is the Only Way Out
Given the enemy’s resources, the military official urges us to abandon any illusions about a quick end to the war or the effectiveness of agreements with the Kremlin. In his view, Ukraine must build its strategy with a long-term struggle in mind.
The large-scale technological modernization of the Army must become the key factor in preserving the Ukrainian nation and securing victory.
“We need to transform the state into a single military factory and acknowledge a simple fact: it’s either us or them. The more advanced our technology is, the more drones we have, the fewer of our people will die. Drones are already replacing people in certain battles. It’s easier to build 20 drones and train operators than to lose a soldier,” Mykola Melnyk concluded.
And so, in this war of attrition, trying to outnumber the enemy solely through manpower is a dead end. The only effective safeguard against Russia’s numerical pressure is the total technological modernization of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, transforming the country into an efficient military-industrial hub, and maximizing the replacement of human soldiers with robots and drones on the battlefield.
The state’s top priority must be to save the lives of Ukrainian defenders by leveraging an advantage in innovation
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
