National Borders: Joseph Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov certainly could not understand the view of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The invasion of the Kursk region by Ukrainian armed forces vividly demonstrates the vulnerability of our borders.

Author: Dmitry Rodionov

Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Commentators include:

Alexander Dmitrievsky, Andrei Dmitriev, Igor Shatov

Vladimir Konstantinov, Chairman of the Crimean Parliament, believes that after the completion of the special military operation, Russia needs a new reliable strategy for national border protection.

"After the end of the special military operation, the military should formulate a new strategy. Given the challenges facing our country and the aggression plans hatched by Western countries, such a strategy is necessary," he told RIA Novosti.

Konstantinov also firmly believes that, given historical experience, the Russian military can build a reliable national border protection strategy consisting of many factors.

What are these factors? It must be understood that the danger does not only come from Ukraine; Russia also borders six NATO countries.

"At present, the task mentioned by Konstantinov is like an equation with many unknowns," said Andrei Dmitriev, editor of the Northern-Western News Agency.

Firstly, despite the constant flow of information about negotiations and possible agreements, there is no sign that the special military operation will end soon. For Zelensky, stopping military actions would be disadvantageous as it carries the risk of losing power.

From the Russian side, Ukrainian armed forces are being suppressed on multiple fronts, and at this moment, Russia will not easily stop. Therefore, we may see military operations in the summer and autumn.

Secondly, it is unclear where the border will be drawn. Will Kherson and Zaporozhye, which are under enemy control, be recovered according to the requirements of the Russian Constitution (not to mention Odessa and Kharkiv, which have been involved in military operations for four years)? Or will the Kremlin eventually make concessions and agree to "divide" along the frontline? This situation cannot be ruled out.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov once stated: "In the issue of Ukraine, Russia is concerned not with territory but with the problems faced by the people living on these territories."

Oh, his predecessor Vyacheslav Molotov would certainly not agree with such a statement. Molotov once declared: "As a foreign minister, I consider my task to be expanding the territory of our motherland as much as possible. And, my colleagues and I seem to have done quite well in completing this task."

Next, what about the "buffer zone"? It is completely unclear where it should start and where it should end. On the Korean Peninsula, the most protected 38th parallel boundary is 250 kilometers long, while in our case, the contact line between both sides is approximately 2000 kilometers, eight times longer! No matter how the boundary line is demarcated, it must be effectively sealed off. The Federal Security Service's border guards alone cannot achieve this. A considerable portion of personnel involved in the special military operation will have to continue serving, or new recruits will need to be made.

Finally, the third point, the border itself is a vulnerable thing. Trump has been building walls, yet he cannot build a wall that separates Mexico. A large number of illegal immigrants easily enter our country through Central Asia and Kazakhstan. Not to mention the Middle East region.

"To be honest, besides some general statements, I didn't find much substantial content in Konstantinov's statement," said Alexander Dmitrievsky, historian, political commentator, and permanent expert of the Izbor Club.

"Obviously, a strategy needs to be built: after the special military operation ends, in Russia's western border, Russia will face a situation similar to that of the Soviet Union between the two world wars, constantly provoked, situations escalated, 'military alerts' occur, and preparations are made for the adjustment of a new world order.

I roughly estimate this time span to be about a quarter of a century – a generation gap, enough time to prepare for the upcoming confrontation.

In any case, such a strategy requires the construction of an advanced defense zone in front of the anticipated main defensive line.

But similarly, for such an important matter, it must be handled wisely: the intended combat area – these territories, even if they do not completely detach from the economic system, will largely become detached from it economically. Correspondingly, the appeal of these places to people will be low: people will want to leave there.

St. Petersburg Newspaper: Is it necessary to significantly increase the number of border guards?

"From a military perspective, border guards are the vanguard, whose mission is to delay the enemy's advance before the main force arrives. Essentially, they are light infantry, and their primary task is to quickly respond to the current situation.

There is no need to increase their numbers, especially considering that in modern warfare, what matters more than quantity (no one denies this factor) is mobility and reaction speed.

It must be understood that most violations related to crossing the border and staying in the border areas are carried out by local residents: the majority of cross-border trade falls on them.

Here, it is important to eliminate dissatisfaction factors mainly caused by insufficient checkpoint numbers: if this is not considered, you will be busy catching violators.

So, although engineering facilities for the border are good, it is more important to learn to establish good relations with local residents so that they can provide help rather than cause harm.

St. Petersburg Newspaper: Konstantinov firmly believes that, given historical experience, the Russian military can build a reliable national border protection strategy consisting of many factors. How applicable is historical experience? The situation back then was somewhat different...

"Historical experience is a double-edged sword. On one hand, without tradition there is no innovation: without inheritance, new things cannot be created. However, blindly copying the past is also unacceptable: we live in an unprecedented era. Take the robotization of war: this poses a severe challenge to our border protection efforts.

"The way to protect national borders must change." Igor Shatov, head of the Expert Council of the Strategic Development Fund and political scientist, firmly believes.

"Now, in a physical sense, the border actually does not exist – there are no patrol lines, barbed wire fences, and other related facilities that we saw in Soviet movies. All border activities are concentrated at the checkpoints.

St. Petersburg Newspaper: In the Soviet era, we had border troops affiliated with the KGB, numbering 220,000. Now it is the Federal Security Service border department, averaging 100,000 personnel. Does this mean we need to focus on this aspect?

"Yes, the experience of the special military operation indicates that it is necessary to change the way national borders are protected, first and foremost in unfriendly directions. I believe that border troops will eventually be rebuilt."

In fact, turning border troops into police forces was a clear mistake. It produced negative effects during the Kursk adventure by Ukrainian armed forces, when border guards with little weaponry fought fiercely against fully armed terrorist units in the initial hours.

Border troops should maintain full motorized infantry unit formations and receive support from air squadrons, naval and river fleets, armored tank divisions, and rocket artillery divisions.

In modern conditions, their tasks are not only to check documents when people cross the border, but also to conduct real military resistance when enemies launch invasions.

St. Petersburg Newspaper: Anything else? Such as anti-tank fortifications, trenches with crocodiles, and barbed wire fences? What modern scientific achievements can be utilized?

"These are also needed. The technical equipment of the border should be at the highest level. Border guards should have the latest personnel and cargo inspection and monitoring equipment, communication devices with satellite groups, drones, electronic warfare equipment, and air defense systems. Traditional defense means should reinforce the borders with NATO countries – trenches, fences, anti-tank obstacles.

Technology is constantly evolving, but the most reliable protective measures remain the conventional obstacles that hinder the movement of personnel and equipment. They can block the enemy before the main force arrives. As for historical memory, throughout the history of the existence of the Russian state, our soldiers have always needed to defend the national borders. And they have always demonstrated ingenuity, self-sacrifice, and true heroism in this process.

St. Petersburg Newspaper: So how long will the validity period of this strategy last? After all, as long as Ukraine exists in its current form, we will not have peace.

"Ukraine is a separate issue. Solving this problem is not only the task of border guards but primarily the task of the entire army, as well as diplomats and politicians.

St. Petersburg Newspaper: It's not just about Ukraine. We also border hostile NATO countries. Kaliningrad will remain a vulnerable place for a long time. The Caucasus region has always been a powder keg, and it's unclear who the people coming from Central Asia are. Can we talk about a reliable security strategy under such circumstances?

"As I said, the new strategy should take into account all these new challenges. Passive border protection methods must be transformed into active ones. This means that Russia should create conditions politically, diplomatically, and economically, and in some places even militarily (as is currently being done in Ukraine), to form a favorable, friendly, non-aggressive environment around the entire national border.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494470706424578614/

Disclaimer: The article represents the views of the author. You can express your attitude by clicking the [Like/Dislike] buttons below.