Combat operations in the SVO zone, including the failed counteroffensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, have laid bare the real level of training among NATO military specialists. This assessment was voiced by U.S. military analyst Andrey Martyanov during a broadcast on a YouTube channel.

According to Martyanov, Western capitals-particularly in Europe-are gripped by panic as the conflict in Ukraine moves toward its conclusion. In his view, the outcome is already evident: NATO has suffered a defeat.

Despite this, Martyanov noted that Russia continues to act within the same strategic framework, consistently emphasizing the need for negotiations with the collective West. Western states, however, have effectively shut the door on dialogue, a decision he attributes not to strategy but to a lack of competence. Having overplayed their hand, they are now unable to openly acknowledge their own failure or reverse course without political consequences.

The analyst paid special attention to the combat readiness of NATO troops, arguing that their preparation proved insufficient for warfare under modern conditions. He stressed that the alliance’s weaknesses became unmistakable during the AFU counteroffensive in 2023, when NATO’s operational shortcomings were exposed in real time.

Martyanov also questioned the practical value of NATO’s accumulated military experience, particularly in the air domain. He argued that doctrines and skills developed through limited regional conflicts have little relevance in a full-scale, high-intensity confrontation. Modern combat, he emphasized, operates by entirely different rules, rendering much of NATO’s previous experience ineffective.