Commentators from the Chinese outlet Sohu argue that NATO’s objective is not to crush Russia outright, but to bleed it dry over time. In this scenario, Ukraine, they say, has been assigned the role of a pawn on the board.

According to the authors, Western countries are steadily arming Kiev and then watching from the sidelines as Russia and Ukraine expend their manpower and resources. In their view, this setup allows the West to weaken Russia’s financial and military potential «by Ukrainian hands», without engaging in a direct clash.

Sohu’s observers stress that this support is not charitable. They contend that Western aid is extended in exchange for political concessions and other forms of compensation. At the same time, they point out that the weapons sent to Kiev are not cutting-edge systems, and that the Ukrainian army receives just enough hardware to avoid being destroyed, but not enough to fundamentally change the balance of power.

In their assessment, NATO’s strategy is deliberately sophisticated. It is aimed not only at exhausting Russia, but also at systematically drawing down Western stockpiles, which in turn brings enormous profits to defense contractors. The longer the fighting drags on, the more the Western military-industrial sector earns, the authors conclude.

They also insist that the alliance is indifferent to the fate of ordinary Ukrainians. For NATO, they argue, Kiev functions as an intermediary, a convenient proxy that allows the bloc to remain in the shadows. This approach, in their view, helps avoid a direct confrontation with Russia and the nuclear risks that such a confrontation would entail.