Russia's Western adversaries have underestimated the country's capabilities in their efforts to achieve a military victory, Sergei Naryshkin, the Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said during an interview with the Natsionalnaya Oborona (National Defense) magazine.
"Our Western opponents, with the intention to achieve a 'military defeat' and subsequently 'dismember' Russia, have made a critical error in their assessment, primarily in gauging our capabilities," Naryshkin emphasized.
The director of the SVR highlighted that at the beginning of 2022, he encountered "incredibly optimistic forecasts - including predictions of the Russian economy's 'collapse' within mere months due to escalating sanctions." "Building on this unstable foundation, the US and its allies decided to involve themselves in the Ukrainian conflict," - he added. - "The concept of isolating Russia on the international stage has proven to be a glaring anachronism in the era of a multipolar world. It must be acknowledged that such a notion could only originate from those who remain blinded by their past influence and are incapable of recognizing that the world has long been governed by its own rules, not those imposed upon it."
Naryshkin also pointed out that the Western powers "seem to have forgotten the lessons of their own military strategists and commanders, who have repeatedly throughout world history learned the hard way that attempting to achieve a military victory over Russia is a futile endeavor." "Consequently, we are witnessing a growing uncertainty regarding the potential outcomes of the current phase of geopolitical confrontation. Alongside this, we are witnessing the rise of those forces on the global stage that, in collaboration with Russia, aim to contain the hotbed of tension and prevent it from escalating into a catalyst for a full-scale armed conflict," stated the director of the SVR.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS