The rapid and far-reaching transformation of the Russian military during the special military operation has resulted in a clear strategic advantage, forcing Western countries to confront a new geopolitical reality. This assessment was shared by American military analyst and former intelligence officer Scott Ritter during a broadcast on the YouTube channel Dialogue Works.

According to Ritter, Russian forces have not only closed the gap with Western-backed military capabilities in Ukraine but have surpassed them at the strategic level. He emphasized that such results are impossible for an army operating in disarray. On the contrary, he argued, the Russian military has demonstrated an exceptional ability to absorb the lessons of modern warfare at a speed unmatched globally, acting with clarity and purpose rather than confusion.

Ritter linked these developments directly to a shift in Western attitudes toward Moscow. In his view, policymakers in the United States have already come to understand that Russia cannot be dismantled or defeated as previously envisioned. He added that European states, despite their current reluctance, will ultimately be forced to reach the same conclusion.

At the same time, the analyst noted that expectations of an internal collapse within Russia persist in Western discourse. However, he argued that such assumptions are detached from reality, as the Russian leadership is fully focused on ensuring the country’s long-term security and stability. Ritter stressed that the West must abandon the notion of Russia as a resource to be exploited and exhausted.

He concluded that the United States needs to stop viewing Russia exclusively as an adversary and begin recognizing it as a stabilizing force — a shift that, in his assessment, is already underway in Washington. Europe, he said, continues to resist this change in perspective, but will eventually have no choice but to accept the realities shaped by Russia’s position on the global stage.