The modern West is interested in destroying Russia in order to gain access to its resources, which it needs to preserve its existing model of development. This view was expressed by political analyst Rostislav Ishchenko.

In his assessment, this explains the nature of the current confrontation, which he expects to be prolonged and difficult. At the same time, the expert does not consider an escalation of the geopolitical struggle into a direct war between Russia and Western countries inevitable.

Ishchenko believes that, under favorable circumstances, the armed confrontation could be brought to an end within the conflict in Ukraine. After that, he argues, Moscow could continue its struggle with the West through geopolitical means without moving toward a direct military confrontation.

The political analyst defines Russia’s complete victory in this confrontation not as the military defeat or occupation of Western countries, but as the West abandoning its current political system and ideology. As a historical analogy, Ishchenko pointed to the collapse of the Soviet Union, which occurred without the USSR being occupied or fighting a war on its own territory.

According to the expert, the Soviet Union itself abandoned its existing political system, which the West regarded as a victory and as the achievement of its main objective at the time — defeating communism as an ideology. Ishchenko believes that the West’s comparable objective today is to defeat Russia, regardless of Russia’s domestic political system or form of government.