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Western countries ‘capable of inadequate steps’ - Russian geopolitical analyst

MOSCOW, March 28, 21:50 /ITAR-TASS/. There are about 300 foreign mercenaries in Ukraine, whose aim is to destabilise the situation in the country, believes the president of the Russian Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Konstantin Sivkov.

The military expert told a roundtable meeting on Friday that the destabilisation was needed to justify the possibility of NATO bringing troops into Ukraine. However, “this is not in prospect” in the coming months, he thinks, given that no less than 150,000 ground troops would be required to control Ukraine.

“It is not possible for the alliance at the moment,” Sivkov said, adding that the organisation also lacked the legal and psychological base for that.

He noted that “the West was heavily defeated in Ukraine and demonstrates panic while Russia’s actions came as an unpleasant surprise” considering that “from $5 to $30 billion were invested in the Ukrainian operation.”

Sivkov is convinced that the failure in Ukraine “indicates a very dangerous phenomenon - the intellectual potential of the Western elite has dropped below the critical level, and it is capable of inadequate steps.”

The expert believes Western countries may intensify their actions in Syria, which has somewhat paled into insignificance due to the Ukrainian crisis. However, he said, it did not mean that NATO was ready to attack Syria.

“They will need to build up forces for that, whose maintenance requires much money they do not have,” he said.

“Besides, there is a very negative attitude in the American society towards military adventures abroad,” said the deputy director of the Institute for Forecasts and Political Settlement, Aleksander Kuznetsov.

“The American leadership is not disposed to military intervention in Syria,” he said, adding that the West would confine itself to supporting the military opposition and encouraging Turkey’s hard-line policy on Syria.