Russia claims a longer American hybrid war including Ukraine, will result in humiliation akin to that of Vietnam.
On Sunday, Russia responded to the U.S. lawmakers’ approval of an additional $60.84 billion in support for Ukraine. According to Moscow, this move signifies Washington’s increasing involvement in a hybrid war with Russia—one that could ultimately lead to a humiliation comparable to the experiences in Vietnam or Afghanistan.
President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has escalated tensions between Russia and the West to a level not seen since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The recent passage of a $95 billion legislative package by the U.S. House of Representatives, aimed at providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, received broad bipartisan support but faced objections from some Republicans.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed concern that the United States was pushing Ukraine to fight relentlessly, even if it meant launching attacks on Russian sovereign territory and civilians. She warned that Washington’s deepening involvement in the hybrid war against Russia could lead to a resounding and embarrassing failure akin to the historical setbacks in Vietnam and Afghanistan.
Zakharova highlighted the plight of ordinary Ukrainians, who she described as being “forcibly driven to slaughter as ‘cannon fodder’.” However, she noted that the United States was no longer placing its bets on a Ukrainian victory against Russia.
The conflict in Ukraine has been framed differently by various parties. While Western leaders and Ukrainian authorities view it as an imperial-style land-grab, post-Soviet Russia is perceived as one of the top two nation-state threats to global stability, alongside China.
President Putin, on the other hand, presents the war as part of a broader struggle with the United States. He contends that Moscow’s interests were ignored after the 1991 Soviet collapse, and he accuses the U.S. of plotting to divide Russia and exploit its natural resources.
