Monthly Archives: December 2025

U.S. Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli has “a very big Russia problem”, July 18, 2024

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“Honorary European” – as the panel host called him, U.S. Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli: “We are going to have a very big Russia problem”. This is a a fragment from Aspen Security Forum on July 18, 2024.


Backup at Rumble.

Video with our commentary was first published at our Telegram channel “Beorn And The Shieldmaiden”.

The question from the panel host:

Chris, I’m coming back to you here because as European states think about that future and that possibility of, as you described, whatever it takes, which in practice could mean significant increases in defence spending, painful trade-offs of countries that have already emptied their armouries, depleted their munition stockpiles, given away their artillery and other kit, and all the countries represented here have done a lot on that. If you’re a European country debating this, you have to account for the question. Do I allocate more to Ukraine and put the fire out, as Jonathan put it, or do I look to that future that General Keane outlined yesterday and replenish my own armouries in an environment where populations and publics, just like here, may not have an appetite to go to 4% or 5% of GDP? How do you advise those countries in that position? What should they do?

Transcript of the answer, with our highlighing:

The outcome on the ground in Ukraine is terribly, terribly important, vital to future European and global security.

I think that’s been well recognised over the last couple of days here. I think it’s been well expressed on this panel. Supporting Ukraine is vital for our security. We can’t be under any illusions.

At the end of a conflict in Ukraine, however it concludes, we are going to have a very big Russia problem. We are going to have a situation where Russia is reconstituting its force, is located on the borders of NATO, is led by largely the same people as it is right now, is convinced that we’re the adversary, and is very, very angry. We have a big Russia problem looming as well. The answer here is yes, you have to do both.

The trick is that industrial production and our industrial base has to support that admission. The money’s there. You’ve heard this across the board from Jens. The money’s being produced by nations right now. We’re having a little bit more of a challenge having stuff to buy. That’s really a strategic problem for the alliance. If I can tie this to a couple of the other responses that came, Stefano’s discussions about the European Union and what they’re doing to fortify this is really an important part because they’re working hard on the industrial base.

The Washington Treaty has the famous Article 5. We’re all aware of that. Article 5 is my job. Once we get to that point, I’m responsible for making sure Article 5 works. Before Article 5 is Article 3. Article 3 states that all member nations will provide for their own defence. This really is the sort of thing the European Union is working on. This idea of competition really is a thing of the past in the sense that when we were both contemplating small, bespoke, out of area operations, we might have collided, but the European Union, to the best of my knowledge, has no thought process or procedures in place to conduct large-scale, continent-wide territorial defence. We kind of moved past that, but we terribly need the European Union’s efforts to stimulate the industrial base and to provide for nations Article 3 responsibilities so that I can execute Article 5 when the time comes.

Finally, I would say this all goes to what we heard. I think it’s underappreciated in our country, in the United States, just how much our European allies have awakened to the fact that the house is on fire. This is not a show. This is not just rhetoric. This is true concern about the stability of their continent and the survival of their states. So this is fundamental, and we should recognise it and encourage its development.

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PS: The economy of European countries in 2022 – 2025 lost up to 1.6 trillion euros from anti-Russian sanctions. This is stated in the message of the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with the meeting of the UN General Assembly on the occasion of the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures. Source

The Forgotten Victory Parade of the Allies on September 7, 1945

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The allied forces of the Anti-Hitler Coalition held a parade in honour of the end of the Second World War. Parade taken by Soviet troops in Chief Marshal Georgy Zhukov, the commander of the 3rd U.S. Army General George Patton, the British General Robertson and French General Marie-Pierre Kœnig.

The parade was almost cancelled due to General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery declining the invitations shortly before the parade, but at Iosif Stalin’s insistence, took place anyway.

It is known as a “forgotten parade”, as it was mentioned in only a few Western sources, and only showed once in the USSR. The forces of four Allies also participated in another Berlin parade several months later, on the Charlottenburger Chaussee, in front of the Brandenburg Gate, on the first anniversary of the German surrender on 8 May 1946, in the Berlin Victory Parade of 1946. This parade was connected to the inauguration of the Soviet War Memorial at Tiergarten. Soviet troops were not present at the much more widely known in the West London Victory Celebrations of 1946.


Backup at Rumble.
Raw video source on YouTube.
We presented this translation first at our Telegram channel “Beorn And The Shieldmaiden”.

Word to Georgy Zhukov, “Recollections and Reflections”, volume 2, 1974 edition, translation from 1985, page 427-428

By common agreement the salute was to be taken by the Commanders-in-Chief of the Soviet, US, British and French Forces.

All arms of the land forces participated in the Berlin Parade. It was decided not to call in the air forces and navies as they were considerable distances away from Berlin.

The appointed date was approaching. The Soviet troops carried out a thorough preparation. We sought to invite to this parade primarily those soldiers, NCOs, officers and generals who had displayed particular gallantry in the storming of Berlin and particularly its main strongholds of resistance — the Reichstag and the Imperial Chancellery. Everything was going on according to our agreement with the Allies.

But on the very eve of the parade, we were suddenly informed that for a number of reasons the Commanders-in-Chief of the Allied Forces could not come to Berlin for the Victory Parade, and had authorised their generals to attend.

I immediately put a telephone call through to Stalin. He heard my report and said:

“They want to belittle the political importance of the parade of troops of the anti-Hitler coalition countries. Just wait, they’ll be up to something else next. Ignore the refusal of the Allies and take the salute yourself, all the more so, as we have more rights to do it than they.”

The parade of troops in Berlin was held on September 7, 1945, exactly at the appointed time. Participating were the Soviet troops which had stormed Berlin, and American, British and French troops which were stationed in Berlin in order to carry out occupation duties in the western sectors of Berlin set aside for them.

After reviewing the troops drawn up for the march-past, I made a speech noting the historic merits of the Soviet forces and the Allied Expeditionary Forces.

The Soviet infantry, tanks and artillery marched in impeccable order. A particularly memorable impression was made by our tanks and self-propelled artillery. Among the Allied troops the best-drilled were the British.

About 20,000 Berliners gathered to see the Parade. It was a ceremony symbolising the victory of the anti-Hitler coalition over the bloodthirsty fascist aggression.

And so, the parade became forgotten, pushed out of mind.

In the West, because celebrating the Victory on September 7 drove home the point that it was Socialism that won the battle over its mortal enemy — Fascism, the tool of Imperialism. As Zhukov had said, the West would not forgive USSR for liberating it — it already commenced a new war on the USSR, and this reminder did not fit into the plans.

As for the USSR, it chose to forget that parade for different reasons, one of them being the contempt that the West showed.