10 Lessons Learned from the Russian Attack on Ukraine

No one expected this to happen. Not the experts, not the pundits, and certainly not the average person on the street. But it did happen, and there are plenty of important lessons to be learned from it—for Ukraine, the United States, Europe, and the rest of the world. It’s in the best interest of all parties to learn those lessons now before they ever need to apply them again...if they ever do at all.

1) Prepare for anything

If you want to be ready for a military invasion, take steps now to make sure your country can survive and defend itself. The first step is knowing what preparations need to be made in advance. When it comes to defending your nation, there’s no time like today to get started with your preparations.

2) Countries are watching

We’ve already seen evidence that countries are closely watching what’s happening in Ukraine. It seems more than likely Russia will attempt similar moves in other parts of Europe; its invasion of Crimea has also had a ripple effect on Eastern Europe and Eurasia, inspiring separatism movements in certain regions there. Because of that, it’s important to understand how events unfolded there so we can apply them elsewhere as needed.

3) Know your enemy

Before a country can prepare for a possible attack, it has to know who its enemies are. In fact, some would argue that knowing your enemy is one of the most important things you can do as a military leader. Without knowing who is trying to attack your country, how will you be able to protect yourself? How will you plan an effective defense strategy? How many troops and resources should you dedicate to thwarting your enemy’s aggression? Only after coming up with a list of probable suspects—and taking some time to look into those countries’ motivations and capabilities—can a nation truly get prepared for an assault.

4) Build alliances with strong military partners

Forming an alliance with a country or group of countries that is more powerful than your adversary can be a very effective strategy. This creates a united front that discourages your foe from attacking you because they know they wouldn’t win, while giving you cover as you plan and prepare to defend yourself.

5) Only negotiate from a position of strength

Although negotiation may seem like a game of win-lose, it doesn’t have to be. A position of strength means more than simply having more leverage and power than your opponent; it also means that you have a full range of options available to you when sitting at a table. By approaching negotiations from a position of strength, both parties in conflict stand to benefit.

6) Intelligence counts

Intelligence is a lesson learned from war. Many intelligence analysts noticed disturbing trends in Russian society, but failed to act until it was too late. One can only imagine how many lives could have been saved if people had listened to these experts years earlier. All our intel has flaws, so it’s important to take all of them with a grain of salt, and also be cognizant of how every part is prone to human error.

7) Don’t rely on technology only

Smartphones, laptops, and tablets may seem like invaluable tools when you’re working remotely. But before you leave to start your trip overseas or go camping for a few days in nature, make sure to bring along basic supplies that are unlikely to run out of power: paper maps, blank journals and sketchpads, pencils and pens (with erasers!), flashlights with extra batteries.

8) Speed is important

The Russian attack on Ukraine caught everyone off guard, and much of what could have been done to improve their ability to defend themselves was either not done or was too little, too late. In moving forward, we must remember that speed is paramount; it’s difficult to defend against an adversary who does not follow normal rules and who uses advanced weaponry and tactics. When in doubt, having more options for your response will always be better than having fewer.

9) Be ruthless (war isn’t nice, but...)

The world has been relatively peaceful for over a decade now. The last time someone shot at another country’s troops was in 2008, when Russia decided to invade Georgia. It seems that violence happens less frequently than ever before, and some people have taken that as a sign of progress. But war isn’t going away anytime soon—and we shouldn’t forget what it looks like or how it works.

10) Learn all you can and share it

Your best bet to combat Russian disinformation is to learn as much as you can and share it with others. The more informed people are, regardless of their opinions, the harder it will be for Russian propaganda to go unchecked.