WW3 fears as Russia has boosts its covert operations spy and special forces battalions whilst ‘stubborn’ western leaders ignore the growing threat to NATO and its allies
Russia’s war against the west is being ignored by “stubborn western leaders” and is far more threatening than has been acknowledged by NATO, a new study has declared.
Moscow has expanded its “Spetsnaz” special forces and GRU military spook battalions and has around 20,000 operators dedicated to covert and sabotage warfare. The paper argues that even though these elite forces are poorly trained in comparison with Britain’s SAS and American special forces, superiority in numbers is alarming.
It argues: “Considering that the total strength of Spetsnaz units is between 15,000 and 20,000 people, the lower quality of operations can be fully compensated by their number.” Russia has expanded its 161st GRU Specialist Training Center, known as Unit 29155, which teaches sabotage and covert operations.
And for a year now a new unit has been created at the 236th Specialist Training Centre – whose only aim is sabotage and unconventional warfare. The alarming paper by London defence think tank Royal United Services Institute and written by Russian multi-dimensional warfare expert Oleksandr V Danylyuk says: “Russia’s undeclared war against the West is intensifying, leveraging fear, destabilisation and covert operations to undermine NATO unity and Western resilience.”
It warns the west is “stubbornly trying not to notice this , to some extent imitating the behaviour of their Ukrainian colleagues on the eve of the Russian invasion.” And it warns Russia is waging “an undeclared war against the West and is enjoying significant success.”
It argues that Russia’s war on Ukraine is a demonstration to allies such as China in a bid to prove America’s “unwillingness” to protect Europe and, more worrying “the pointlessness of NATO.” On Russia’s militarisation the paper argues that Moscow is now so dependent on a weapons economy that it has no “alternative to war.”
It continues: “If the only tool you have is a shotgun, the only business you can start is robbery.” He continues with a dire warning: “Russia’s undeclared war against the West is already underway, and the stubborn refusal to acknowledge this fact by most Western leaders makes the West’s defeat only a matter of time.’
