Major General Le Van Cuong: Russia - Ukraine special military campaign: 6 months, 6 issues

1. The origin of the Russia-Ukraine war:

There are two fundamental, deep-rooted causes leading to the Russia-Ukraine war: 1) From within Ukraine; 2) From the US strategy to weaken Russia.

Ukraine is a country with "favorable weather, favorable location, and unfavorable people".

With 603,000 km², Ukraine has the largest area in Europe (excluding Russia). On a large area, there are no extreme cold or hot zones, the land is fertile (Ukraine owns 10% of the best land in the world).

In terms of anthropology, language, religion, and economy, Ukraine is made up of two distinct regions with opposing sides: the nine eastern provinces bordering Russia, the majority of whom are Russian, the Russian Orthodox religion, and the industrial economy tied to Russia (since the Soviet era). The people of the nine eastern provinces have thoughts and feelings close to Russia and they want to promote and expand all-round relations with Russia.

Kiev (Ukraine). Photo: Kelley Hudson

The 8 western provinces (bordering Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria) follow the Roman Catholic religion, the majority of Ukrainians, have anti-Russian thoughts, even extreme anti-Russian. The 7 central provinces, people are not extreme anti-Russian, but want to integrate into Europe.

Two population blocs: the pro-Russian East, the anti-Russian West. Therefore, since 1911, Ukraine has never existed as a unified country. The internal political situation in Ukraine exists objectively and for a long time. This situation poses an objective requirement: the Kiev government needs to maintain a balance between the East (Russia) and the West (Western Europe).

Reality has also proven that: In any period when the Kiev government balances East and West, the country is stable and develops; in any period when the Kiev government leans completely to one side (Russia or Europe), the country becomes unstable and cannot develop. Currently, the Kiev government has leaned completely into the arms of the US against Russia and brought disaster upon itself.⁽²⁾.

The world’s leading strategists have warned Kiev. Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger made the right point: “If Ukraine is to survive and develop, it must not be allowed to become an outpost of either side in confrontation with the other; it must act as a bridge between the two sides.”⁽³⁾.

On the US strategy to weaken Russia:

It is best, to be objective, to cite the opinions of leading scholars and strategists of the US and its allies.

“The strategic goal of the United States is to seek hegemony throughout the world, not allowing the emergence of any large country on the two continents of Europe and Asia that is large enough to constitute a threat to America's leadership position.” ⁽⁴⁾.

“To maintain world hegemony in the post-World War II era and eliminate the prospect of a multipolar world, it is necessary to control the Eurasian bloc, whose constituent elements include Europe, Russia and China.

The biggest goal is to put maximum pressure on Russia in the Eurasian region and eliminate or weaken Russia as a pole.”⁽⁵⁾.

NATO's eastern expansion has posed urgent challenges to Russia. Photo: Document

To weaken Russia, the first and most important thing is for the US to expand NATO to the East, admit Eastern European and Baltic countries into NATO; narrow Russia's strategic space; deploy modern weapons and means of war in Eastern European and Baltic countries, directly threatening Russia's national security.

GF Kennan, father of the Soviet “Containment Strategy”⁽⁶⁾, soberly commented: “NATO expansion would be the most fatal mistake in US policy in the post-Cold War period.”⁽⁷⁾.

Leading American strategists Kissinger, William Burns, Malcolm Fraser, Edward Luttwak, Sam Nunn, Jack Matlock, Paul Nitze, Owen Harries, William Perry, B. Brzezinski shared the same views as GF Kennan.

Among the former Soviet Union countries, Ukraine has a special position in Russia's national security. If Ukraine joins NATO, the US hypersonic missiles stationed in Ukraine will only take 4 minutes to destroy the Kremlin, and Russia will not be able to resist. Therefore, Ukraine's non-entry into NATO is a "red line" that Russia requires the US and Ukraine not to cross.

B. Brzezinski strongly opposed the admission of Ukraine into NATO: “The US and its allies should abandon the Westernization plan and instead aim to turn this country (Ukraine) into a neutral buffer between NATO and Russia, similar to Austria's position during the Cold War”; and “Finlandization of Ukraine: Essential neutrality, politically able to have friendly relations with all countries, economically able to join the EU, militarily not allowed to join NATO”⁽⁸⁾.

NATO regularly conducts military exercises in Russia's "backyard". Photo: Document

“Top US national security experts stress that the current Ukraine crisis is created by the US”⁽⁹⁾. Journalist Thomas Friedman, foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times, also believes that the US created the Ukraine crisis.⁽¹⁰⁾.

In short, the deep roots of the current Ukrainian crisis are the resonance of internal factors (Ukraine's internal factors) and external factors (the US strategy to weaken Russia since the end of the Cold War (1991) to maintain Washington's dominant role in the world).

2. Two phases of the Russia-Ukraine war

The division of the two stages of the Russia-Ukraine war (so far) is only relative and based on the intentions of the US and the West.

- Phase 1 from February 24, 2022 to April 23, 2022:

The first two days (February 24 and 25), the US and the West were still considering and waiting, not ready to rush into providing weapons and finance to Ukraine. The Ukrainian President publicly stated: Ukraine - a democracy abandoned by the West! After that, the US and NATO - mainly European countries - began providing weapons and finance to the Kiev government mainly for Ukraine to fight against Russia.

Russian armored vehicles in Crimea in January 2022. Photo: AP

- Phase 2 from April 24, 2022 to present:

On April 24, 2022, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Ukraine. In Kiev, the Ukrainian President and the Kiev government pledged to US officials: If the US and NATO provide enough weapons and finance, Ukraine will certainly defeat Russia, forcing Russia to return Crimea and withdraw (Russia will be humiliated!).

Please note: February 24 - April 23, 2022 is the period when Russia suffered great losses on the battlefield, for more than a month the Russian army progressed slowly, unable to enter Kiev, Khacop. Western public opinion believes that Russia is bogged down and will fail! It can be said that this is the darkest period of the Russian army in Ukraine. In that context, the Kiev government is determined to defeat Russia if it has enough weapons and financial resources from the US and NATO, perhaps, the US has changed its mind from helping Ukraine to fight Russia to providing weapons and finance to Kiev to defeat Russia.

On April 25, 2022, in Poland, US Defense Secretary L. Austin publicly stated: “The Ukrainians have a mindset of wanting to win; we have a mindset of wanting to help them win. Furthermore, we want to see Russia weakened to the point where it cannot do what it did in its invasion of Ukraine.”

On April 26, 2022, in Germany, Secretary of Defense L. Austin held a meeting with the participation of 40 defense ministers of 40 US allied countries, issuing a statement: Forming a broad international front to support weapons and finance for Ukraine to defeat Russia.

On April 28, 2022, the US Congress passed (417 votes in favor/10 votes against) the "Ukraine Democracy Protection Leasing Act of 2022". Accordingly, in the period of 2022 - 2023, the US will allocate 33 billion dollars to Ukraine (buying weapons, training the Ukrainian army...) to defeat Russia.

Since late April 2022, the US and its European NATO allies (UK, France, Germany, Poland...) have been providing the Kiev government with finance and the most modern weapons available to defeat Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the US Congress on March 16 to appeal for support. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

The US provided the Kiev government with Javelin anti-tank missiles, Stinger air defense systems, sniper rifles, and especially the HIMARS high-mobility missile launcher system (which can launch multiple guided missiles at once with high precision, with a range of 70 - 80km).

Britain has supplied Kiev with anti-ship missiles and armored vehicles. France has supplied Kiev with new Milan anti-tank missiles and Caesar cannons. Germany has transferred to Ukraine new-generation armored vehicles and anti-tank missiles. Türkiye has supplied Kiev with the most modern TB2 drone.

The Kiev government is holding most of the most modern weapons of the US and its NATO allies. On the Ukrainian battlefield, there is currently a clash between two weapons systems: Russian weapons systems and advanced weapons systems of 30 NATO countries, in which the US is the core and main force.

In essence, this is a war between Russia and 30 NATO countries led by the US. In other words, the US is providing weapons and financial resources to the Kiev government so that the Kiev government can fight Russia to the last Ukrainian. It is not wrong to say that this is a proxy war for the US: Washington uses Ukrainians to fight Russia, weakening Russia.

Ukrainian soldiers unload a shipment of US Javelin missiles. Photo: CNN

3. Russia's shortcomings and losses:

Will not mention whether Russia got bogged down or failed in this war. Because the war has not ended, Russia's losses have not been fully assessed. There are initial opinions aboutRussian lossesand focus on how Russia has been inadequate in entering the “Special Military Operation” since February 24, 2022.

Preliminarily, we can point out 5 major losses for Russia: 1) Loss of human life and property (weapons, financial resources...); 2) Immediate and long-term economic losses for nearly a thousand Western economic groups withdrawing from Russia, the import and export market for goods, high-tech equipment and materials is narrowed by 80 - 90%, financial isolation... 3) Russia is more isolated; 4) Deepening the gap between Russia and Europe; 5) Pushing Russia's relationship with Ukraine into the abyss.

Initially, some of Russia's shortcomings in the "Special Military Campaign" were pointed out:

- First, the contradiction is in the philosophy of the war: The war does not destroy, does not attack the people (considering the Ukrainian people as friends of Russia), does not destroy the economy, only focuses on destroying military infrastructure (information centers, command centers, weapons warehouses, transportation systems serving the Ukrainian army, weapons production facilities...) and the Ukrainian army.

The Kiev government brought modern weapons and staff and command forces into the city, into residential areas (including schools and hospitals), the Russian army encountered many difficulties. This was an urban war, the Kiev government organized dozens of sniper squads hiding in the alleys and using anti-tank missiles to destroy Russian tanks. The war was not destructive in the city, a very small sniper force was capable of stopping the advance of an army with dozens of tanks and armored vehicles.

Perhaps, Russia did not fully anticipate this paradox before launching the “Special Military Operation”.

Ukrainian soldiers in a defensive position on a bridge in Kiev. Photo: NPR

- Second, in March 2014, the Russian army entered Crimea with almost no resistance from the Ukrainian army. In 2014, the Ukrainian army was quite weak, with very low fighting power. In 8 years (2014 - 2022), the Kiev government reorganized the army: About 80% of the soldiers were newly recruited after March 2014 (losing the Crimean peninsula); also over 70% of the commanders at all levels were newly appointed; NATO trained the Ukrainian army according to NATO's combat methods (different from the Russian army's combat methods). Thus, the quality of the Ukrainian army shown in its combat capabilities in 2022 is very different from 2014.

In all respects, the combat power of the Ukrainian army in 2022 was significantly superior to that in 2014. Russia did not correctly assess the Ukrainian army when it launched the “Special Military Operation”.

- Third, Russia failed to predict the determination and level of consensus between the US and its European allies, which is reflected in two aspects: 1) Comprehensive and thorough blockade and sanctions against Russia; 2) Political support, providing weapons and finance to the Kiev government to defeat Russia. Russia also failed to foresee the severe and devastating consequences of nearly 5,000 economic sanctions that the US and its allies have imposed on Russia. In addition, perhaps Russia overestimated the strength of “energy weapon" for European countries. In fact, Europe faces many difficulties but the European economy does not collapse, nor does Europe disintegrate without oil and gas from Russia.

From the above three issues, a preliminary conclusion can be made: Before deploying the "Special Military Operation" on February 24, 2022, Russia did not correctly assess the target of the operation: It did not correctly assess Ukraine, it did not assess the determination of the US and its allies in sanctioning Russia and in providing modern weapons and finance to the Kiev government to defeat Russia.

Sun Tzu taught: “Know yourself, know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger. Not knowing your enemy but only knowing yourself, you will win one and lose one. Not knowing your enemy, not knowing yourself, you will lose every battle.”⁽¹¹⁾. Perhaps, Russia belongs to the second situation.

Russian Su-57 aircraft. Photo: TASS

4. Who benefits from this war?

So far (August 24, 2022), the United States is the country that has gained the most benefits in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

- In terms of politics, the US's interests are reflected in: 1) Russia's weakness; 2) Europe's political, security, economic and social weakness, so the so-called "Europe's strategic autonomy" is just empty talk and the US has more conditions to force Europe to "follow Washington's every move"; 3) Thoroughly supporting the Kiev government in all aspects to defeat Russia has scored more points for the J. Biden administration and the Democratic Party in the midterm elections in November 2022; 4) Through the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US understands more and more accurately assesses Russia's role and position in the world and the Russia-China relationship.

- Economically, the US has gained many great benefits from the Russia-Ukraine conflict: 1) The Wall Street military-financial industrial complex has made huge profits in the production and sale of weapons to the US Department of Defense and dozens of European countries; 2) US oil, gas, and liquefied gas companies have an export market 3-4 times larger than before February 24, 2022 (mainly sold to Europe); 3) The dollar has appreciated against the Euro, and large economic groups, first of all European countries, have come to the US to invest.

It should be noted that Ukraine is far from the United States. Ukraine’s strength or weakness does not affect the United States. The Russia-Ukraine war does not threaten the national security of the United States. The United States has no interests in Ukraine and is not interested in protecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine.America's goal is to weaken Russia, the better for Russia to disintegrate.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (center) inspects Javelin anti-tank missiles donated by the US military. Photo:Reuters

The US provided weapons and finance for the Ukrainians to defeat Russia. This was a proxy war waged by the US.

Many talented and honest scholars in the West also have opinions similar to the writer's.

Famous American economist - Professor Jeffrey Sachs, who advised the UN Secretary General for many years, said: "The US is very "fond" of escalating conflicts. The US government wants to seize the opportunity and make Russia "kneel"⁽¹²⁾.

5. The Crimea issue and the use of atomic bombs:

- On the Crimea issue:

It is also necessary to recall a few things about the history of Crimea. Since 1793, Crimea belonged to Russia and Crimea belonged to Russia until Khrushchev - General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, President of the Soviet Union - decided to transfer Crimea from Russia to Ukraine at the end of 1954. The Soviet Constitution stipulated: To transfer a territory from one republic to another, two things must be done: 1) A referendum in that territory; 2) If more than 2/3 of the residents agree, a report must be made to the Supreme Soviet (Parliament) for decision.

The bridge connects the Crimean Peninsula and mainland Russia. Photo: TASS

In 1954, Khrushchev transferred Crimea from Russia to Ukraine without doing the above two things. Therefore, the transfer of Crimea from Russia to Ukraine in 1954 was unconstitutional.⁽¹³⁾.

The internal crisis in Ukraine began on November 21, 2013 and lasted until February 20, 2014, with bloody clashes in Kiev and several major cities on February 18, 19, and 20, 2014.

With the support of France, Germany and Russia, to save Ukraine from the bloody tragedy, on February 21, 2014, the government of President V. Yanukovych and the opposition political forces signed an agreement to end the conflict, the parties cooperated with each other to bring Ukraine out of the crisis and develop the country.

On February 21, 2014 (afternoon), the European Union and the Obama administration issued a statement supporting the agreement between the Yanukovych government and opposition forces and said that this was the only solution to save Ukraine from the crisis.

On February 22, 2014, the US directed the organization of an extraordinary session of the Ukrainian parliament to criticize President Yanukovych and reached a vote with 72.88% of parliamentarians agreeing to remove President Yanukovych. The 2014 Ukrainian Constitution stipulates: When more than 75% of parliamentarians agree, the president can be removed. The extraordinary session of parliament organized by the US on February 22, 2014 had only 72.88% of parliamentarians agreeing. Therefore, the removal of President Yunakovych on February 22, 2014 organized by the US was an unconstitutional act.

Faced with that situation (the US had broken its promise), Russia decided to annex Crimea:

March 1, 2014, Russian troops entered Crimea.

On March 18, 2014, Russia held a referendum on Crimea returning to Russia, with 96.8% of the people in favor.

On March 21, 2014, the State Duma issued a decree confirming Crimea as a Russian entity.

In 2016 - 2017, Russia built the Crimea Bridge. The 19km long Crimea Bridge (the longest in Europe) connects Crimea with mainland Russia (Russian territory) with two roads and a railway. The cost of building the Crimea Bridge is 4 billion USD. The Crimea Bridge is the only way for Russia to transport supplies and food for 2.3 million people in Crimea; it is also the main way to transport weapons, logistics, and Russian troops to Crimea to serve the war in Ukraine.

Dozens of times, the President of Ukraine and senior officials of the Kiev government have publicly declared that they will destroy the Crimean bridge and liberate Crimea.

From Moscow's point of view, Crimea belongs to Russia and the Crimea issue will never be discussed with Kiev. Deputy Chairman of the Russian National Security Council Medvedev stated: “If the Kiev government blows up the Crimean bridge “they will immediately face the day of reckoning, very fast and very fierce. There is no way to avoid it.”

Russia is deploying its most elite forces with modern weapons such as the S-400 to protect the Crimean bridge. It should be understood that the opinion of Deputy Chairman of the Russian National Security Council Medvedev is not a warning but an order.

No matter how the Russia-Ukraine war continues, or who wins, the Crimea peninsula will forever belong to Russia. In 2015, Russian President V. Putin told a Western counterpart:“Whoever uses force to take back Crimea, we will use atomic bombs!”.

If the Kiev government uses force to directly attack the Crimean peninsula and destroy the Crimean bridge, the nature of the war will change 180 degrees.^o: is truly a war of destruction and will end quickly with defeat and disaster on the part of the Kiev government.

- The use of atomic bombs:

On August 1, 2022, Russian President V. Putin said:“There are no winners in a nuclear war.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Reuters

On August 16, 2022, at the annual Security Conference in Moscow, the Russian Defense Minister mentioned four scenarios in which Russia would use nuclear weapons: 1) Being attacked by nuclear missiles; 2) Any other nuclear weapons used against Russia; 3) An attack on critical infrastructure that paralyzes Russia's nuclear deterrent forces; 4) When hostile actions against Russia and its allies endanger the country's survival, even if only with conventional weapons, not including nuclear weapons.

The fourth scenario above is related to the current Russia-Ukraine war. It can be speculated as follows: If the Kiev government takes one of the following two actions: 1) Use missiles to fire at Russia, directly at Moscow; 2) Concentrate modern weapons of the US and NATO members to launch a massive attack to regain the Crimean peninsula.

In either of these two scenarios, it is likely that Russia will use tactical nuclear weapons to end the war.

Another nuclear threat is looming around the corner.Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. This is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, currently controlled by Russia. As the war became more fierce, no one was naive enough to believe that no rocket or shell would fall into the “heart” of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. If the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant exploded like the Chernobyl plant in 1986, it would cause a disaster for all of Europe and also hasten the end of the war.

Russian soldiers patrol the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine on May 1. Photo: AFP

Will there be a nuclear war between the US and Russia?

This largely depends on the United States. The nuclear ball is in Washington’s court. If the United States decides to push Russia into a corner, “Russia’s response will be immediate and will result in consequences that you have never experienced before in history.”⁽¹⁴⁾. President V. Putin did not threaten but warned the US. Russia possesses about 6,000 atomic bombs and has the means of delivery (hypersonic missiles, intercontinental missiles...) to be able to destroy the US 10 times. No matter how much they hate Putin, in the face of death, the hawkish politicians in Washington know when to stop.

6. How will this war end:

It can be said right away: No one knows.

Western scholars and politicians have proposed dozens of scenarios for the end of the Russia-Ukraine war. Try to listen to them all, but believe only part of them!

The US is not sending troops to Ukraine to fight Russia. The US is providing modern weapons to the Kiev government to defeat Russia on the battlefield in Ukraine.

- Ukraine is practically bankrupt so far.

The economy was devastated, and most of the weapons manufacturing facilities were destroyed by the Russian army. Ukraine had no money and no weapons. Ukraine used money and weapons from the US and European NATO members to fight Russia. After all, the European countries (UK, Germany, Poland, the 3 Baltic countries...) were nothing more than puppets in the hands of the US.

Without financial aid and weapons from the US and NATO members, the Kiev government would collapse in a month.

- The ball is in America's court.

Where this war goes depends largely on how far Washington decides to attack Russia and push Russia.

On the surface, the US-led anti-Russian front still appears to be a solid, unified bloc. Within the anti-Russian front, cracks have begun to appear and two factions, “warmongers” and “peacemakers,” have formed.

In general, European countries have begun to feel tired of following the US against Russia. The Brussels elite has begun to realize that following the US against Russia does not bring any benefits, but instead brings heavy losses in all aspects. Only the UK, Poland, and the three Baltic countries are still "following" the US in every move and want to prolong the war to make Russia fail. This is the war faction. On the contrary, France, Germany, Italy and many European countries want to promote Russia-Ukraine dialogue to end the conflict as soon as possible. This can be considered the "peace" faction.

In the US, there have also been many opinions that the conflict needs to end as soon as possible.

An editorial in the New York Times in late May 2022 said: Russia's defeat is unrealistic and dangerous. This is a heavy blow to the "war" faction in the US.⁽¹⁵⁾.

Ruins in cities in Ukraine after Russian airstrikes. Photo: Archive

At a discussion in Davos within the framework of the World Economic Forum, former US Secretary of State H. Kissinger (99 years old) proposed that Ukraine and Russia need to negotiate to end the bloody conflict soon. Kissinger even called on Ukraine to make “territorial concessions” to Russia, by accepting the status quo, that is, Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and the eastern territories, so that it can consider ending the war and restoring peace.⁽¹⁶⁾.

On June 4, 2022, French President E. Macron said: “We must not humiliate Russia so that when the fighting stops, we can build a way out through diplomatic means. I believe that France has the role of mediator.”⁽¹⁷⁾.

- With the Kiev government.

Dozens of times, the President of Ukraine and top officials of the Kiev government have vowed: We will defeat Russia, take back Crimea and Donbass. These are the words of those who are “deaf to guns”. Of course, they have to say so that Washington and Brussels will pump weapons and dollars into Kiev. Perhaps, those who claim to take back Crimea do not believe that it is possible, but they still have to say it to appear as “heroes who save the country”!

In the West, there has been much sincere advice for President Zelenski.

“President Zelenskiy quickly realized that he had been deceived by his Western friends and used as a pawn in a determined geopolitical war against Russia. The Western media praised and hyped Zelenskiy as a hero before the Russian forces”⁽¹⁸⁾.

“Zelenski would be wiser to ignore the West's incitement to escalate the war, call for a ceasefire and earnestly explore a negotiation to end the war to relieve the suffering of the people and the devastation of the country.”⁽¹⁹⁾.

“President Zelenski should avoid using his citizens as “human shields” in the name of patriotism”⁽²⁰⁾.

- With Russia.

Public opinion in the West believes that Russia will run out of resources (weapons, economy, soldiers) and will certainly fail. They misjudge three issues for Russia: 1) Russia has huge resources that can be mobilized for the war; 2) Russian character, the extremely strong inner strength of the Russian people, when they clearly see that the enemy is threatening and violating Russia's vital interests, they will react strongly (beyond the enemy's expectations); 3) Russia has superior military power, they have not (so far) used their "trump card" in the war in Ukraine.

Russia's huge losses on all fronts are clear.

Russia will not fail.

A wise man knows when to stop.

The ball is in America's court.⁽²¹⁾.

It would be wise and a little humane if Washington and Kiev followed the advice of the world's leading strategist H. Kissinger.

Hanoi, August 24, 2022

-------------

1. 90% because in the US and its allied countries, there are many politicians and scholars who are sober, clear-headed and honest in their assessment of this war. They believe that the underlying cause is the US strategy to weaken Russia.

2. In the period 1991 - 1995, Ukraine basically implemented the East - West balancing policy. If this policy had continued from 1994 to now, Ukraine would have become a powerful economic power in Europe.

3. Website thelill.com on March 22, 2022.

4. Tien Chung: “Strategic forecast for the 21st century”, Academy of International Relations, Hanoi, 2002, p.391.

5. Special reference document (TTXVN), April 2022 issue, citing website “ccg.org.com) at the end of March 2022.

6. At the request of the US Congress and the US State Department, on June 22, 1946, GF Kennan (US Consulate General in Moscow) sent a 6,000-word telegram mentioning strategic solutions to prevent "Soviet expansion".

7. GF Kennan's article published in the New York Times in 1997.

8. Foreign Policy Magazine, USA, July 2014 issue.

9-10. According to “Asian Weekly”, No. 19/2022.

11. Sai Vu Cau: “Selected Strategists - Vol. 5 Military Strategists”, CAND Publishing House, Hanoi, 1999, p.89.

12. German newspaper Die Wilt, April 1, 2022.

13. Khrushchev was Ukrainian.

14. VNA: TTKTG February 26, 2022 quoted President Putin's speech (Message) (February 24, 2022) when deploying the "Special Military Operation".

15-16. “The Economist” (UK) May 26, 2022.

17. VNA: TTKTG June 6, 2022, citing BBC/Sputnik/RFI, June 4, 2022.

18-19-20. Website news.cgtn.com, February 28, 2022.

21. The US has twice pledged not to expand NATO to the East, they have betrayed: On February 9, 1990, US Secretary of State J. Baker pledged to President Gorbachev: NATO will not expand even 1 inch! On March 6, 1991, in Boon (capital of West Germany), a meeting of 6 countries took place: the US, the Soviet Union, the UK, France, West Germany and East Germany; the US pledged "We will not expand NATO beyond the Elber River".