The Russians don't care about time, they just drive on, grind the enemy and everything that gets in their way - Chris Farrell , who came to Hungary at the invitation of the Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation, said in an interview with Magyar Nemzet.

The renowned American security policy and intelligence expert spoke about the impact of the war in Ukraine on modern warfare, the role of intelligence in the conflict, and possible peace negotiations.

We are witnessing a very interesting situation, he said. Not since 1945 have we had to worry about large-scale ground fighting in Europe, and now this is happening.

A very special hybrid war is taking place, where infantry and armored units fight each other in a different way than before, and the air force is used in a completely different way than in the past, just think of drones. In addition, intelligence plays a much greater role in the conflict than at any time in previous wars. It is important to note that this is a proxy war, with the United States providing weapons, intelligence and training to its ally against another superpower. The whole situation is therefore extremely exciting for those who research these topics, but at the same time it is also extremely dangerous. As a retired officer, I know exactly what dangers are hidden in the deployment of so many soldiers, mistakes can easily slip into the calculations. A nineteen-year-old soldier is still only a youth.

The current unpredictable war environment can result in very dangerous situations that could easily lead to further escalation. We can also say that we are experiencing a moment similar to 1914, when an unexpected incident led to the outbreak of World War I. No one expected it, no one saw the consequences it would have, which is why I am very worried.

It is very difficult to say exactly what happened and why. I think it's really surprising that the Russians didn't sweep Ukraine very quickly. According to preliminary expectations - not only from the Russian side, but also from the West - Russia should have conquered Ukraine almost instantly, but this did not happen. All in all, everyone was very surprised, enormous pressure was put on the Russians, not only on the intelligence, but also on the army, to achieve victory as soon as possible. Currently, there is the same pressure in Ukraine regarding the success of the counterattack.

What is particularly interesting from this point of view is that there are those who fear that if Vladimir Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, the Russians may attack other countries in Europe. I can hardly imagine this.

At the moment, the occupation and retention of four Ukrainian provinces is a very big challenge for Russia, I don't see how they could launch an effective offensive against NATO as a whole. Putin may be aggressive, many people think he is crazy, but one thing is certain: he has not lost his mind .

According to the expert, peace must be born as soon as possible, the best way of which is an immediate break in the needles. The other possibility is that what happened decades ago in Chechnya is happening in Ukraine. The capital, Grozny, became like the surface of the moon after the Chechen war. The Russians don't care about time, they just drive on, grinding the enemy and everything in their way. The Russian mentality is completely different from, for example, the American one. We want everything fast, they don't. That is why peace should be reached as quickly as possible in order to minimize the destruction.

Featured Image: Yuriy Kochetkov | Source: MTI/MTVA