https://www.nzz.ch/pro/glaube-gegen-kalkuel-was-westliche-soldaten-in-einem-krieg-mit-russland-erwartet-ld.1911069For decades, war between Russia and NATO was an unlikely possibility. Today, it is a real threat. That's why Germany is investing hundreds of billions in military spending, breaking its debt prohibition. The country is debating the reintroduction of conscription and the issue of civilian casualties in a crisis. NATO is warning of a Russian attack. It is said that Vladimir Putin's regime could be ready by 2029 at the latest.
But who would NATO soldiers face? What adversary would they encounter in a conflict with Russia? Russian soldiers versus Western soldiers – a look at Ukraine reveals what the troops would have to prepare for. The difference isn't primarily in the caliber of the assault rifles: the Russians use 5.45x39mm and NATO uses 5.56x45mm. It lies in their mindset.
Western armies view soldiers as rational actors, trained, planning, and bound by law, as citizens of a free country. Russia, however, molds its soldiers into believers. Initially, many are lured with money. But then their mission becomes: victory through devotion. War is a moral test, death becomes a potential salvation. Russian military psychology is a mixture of discipline, fatalism, and spiritual self-abandonment. It turns a Russian soldier into a believer. Blind obedience has always characterized Russia's military.
One repeatedly wonders why thousands upon thousands of Russian soldiers have been blindly running into the fire in Ukraine for over four years. Wave after wave they charge at the enemy positions, knowing they will hardly survive. This pattern is familiar from the Second World War. That was 80 years ago, and it was assumed that the Russian world, too, had progressed.
War is a belief system in Russia.
In the West, war is institutional. In most countries, it is under parliamentary control, embedded in doctrines, and—a crucial difference from Russia—in ethics. It is, paradoxical as it may sound, a rationalized state of emergency. In Russia, by contrast, war is a belief system. Instructions from the Russian military describe it as a moral test for the soldier. "The moral spirit outweighs the mathematics of combat." The soldier is expected to "pass this test with dignity."
This can be read, for example, in a kind of handbook circulating on Russian military-affiliated websites and Telegram channels under the heading "Recommendations for Participants in a Special Military Operation." It is an anonymous collection of tips and lessons from the war in Ukraine, a training and survival manual for Russian soldiers. Comparing the lessons it imparts with Western principles and ideologies gives an idea of just how different the motives and motivations of soldiers on both sides are likely to be in wartime.
For instance, a Western officer conducts a risk analysis when planning operations. A Russian officer is more likely to speak of "trials by God." For him, loss and sacrifice are not contradictory, but rather proof of his own steadfastness. "If you believe in yourself, a grenade won't matter to you." The handbook quotes a Russian veteran. This attitude fosters endurance far beyond what is rationally expedient, but also blindness to the reality of the battlefield.
When Russian men join the military, they are initiated into rituals: an oath to Putin and the fatherland, an icon, the patriarch's blessing. On the battlefield, they encounter death not as an accident, but as fate. Russian troops, as can be seen in videos from Ukraine, pray before going into battle.
In the West, soldiers are primarily experts, not disciples.
Western militaries have long since shed this sacralism. Wehrmacht units also prayed before going into combat. Today, soldiers in the Bundeswehr are primarily experts, not disciples. Their motivation is based on professional ethics, camaraderie, and professional competence. This fundamentally distinguishes them from an army that seeks solace in spiritual devotion. The question is, what does that mean on the battlefield?
The answer: While Western soldiers derive their effectiveness from structure and logic, Russian soldiers draw their morale from myth. Those who fight against them face not only a military but also a metaphysical front—an enemy who believes that even dying is part of their mission.
The Russian army trains not only its soldiers' bodies but also their perceptions. It largely isolates them from anything that might sow doubt. News, social media, even phone calls with family are considered potential weapons of the enemy. "They seek you and your relatives out to secretly sow seeds of doubt and undermine your morale." The soldier is meant to learn not to dismiss information as unfounded.