SBU Major General: Putin Will Not Stop Now

• 14.11.2025, 12:45

How Europe can prepare for war.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has said that Russia is preparing for a major war in Europe as early as 2029-2030.

What exactly is the Russian army stockpiling and preparing today for a possible strike on EU countries? How realistic is such a prospect? Charter97.org talked to retired SBU Major General Viktor Yagun about this:

-Russia is accumulating experience that is not available in Europe. Secondly, it accumulates personnel who gained combat experience in Ukraine.

There is a tendency that some of those who gained this experience do not go to Ukraine, they do not go to "meat" assaults, but really accumulate in instructor units to process this experience, somehow systematize it and pass it on to the new generation that they grow. And Russia is very actively cultivating a new generation of fighters, starting from school and ending with higher educational institutions. That is, the new generation, which can come literally in 3-4-5 years, it is already being prepared.

They are trained from school to work with drones, they are prepared for tactical actions. These are all these "unarmies", it's not just that. If you scale it up, in 4-5 years they can have an army of up to 300-400 thousand, which they can literally gather and mobilize in a matter of days.

And these are now children who are 16 years old, but they clearly understand what "homeland, vocation, fatherland" is, some moments related to patriotism, which are simply brainwashed.

- What weaknesses in the defense of Europe can Putin use?

- Disunity and unpreparedness for war. Unpreparedness is a literal phrase. If you have an enemy standing in front of you, are you ready to shoot him? I want to say that this is a very big problem, because in the first days of the war, which started in 2014, in Ukraine, in the AFU there were situations when some gangs could disarm a whole company of soldiers, a battalion. I am not talking about a regiment, but up to a battalion they could calmly come in and take away weapons. And no one could say a word, because no one was ready to shoot. To shoot at people who appeared in front of you. Therefore, if Europe wants to avoid this stupor, they should already take part in the fighting in Ukraine, so that they at least feel what a modern war is like.

Or invite Ukrainian soldiers who can no longer fight, but can pass on experience, to really feel in a one-on-one conversation what war is and what it can be. This is the most important thing. I think it is very much needed. At least some representatives of the Baltic States have already realized this and are actively doing it on an informal level.

And the rest in the countries of Europe is going according to plan, but very slowly. Now an intelligence community is being created. It is clear that it is necessary not just to exchange information, but to be aware of everything.

- What can we do to stop the Kremlin now to prevent a big war in Europe?

- We need to understand that if you do not want to fight, then help Ukraine. If you can't with soldiers, then help in other areas.

- It is clear that Ukraine is not waiting for soldiers. Today we get out of the situation by signing contracts with foreigners, from Latin America, for example. It is no longer a secret, whole units of Colombians, they want to fight. But they want to fight not just to gain experience, but to make money. The AFU does not pay them more than its soldiers, but they are satisfied with the wages they receive. So we need to make a decision somehow and really direct some of the finances to these units. Everything should be done so that Ukraine wins, not loses. Because if it loses, then war will become a reality much faster than 2030. That Putin will not stop is already clear.