Ukrainian military instructor warns of declining resistance and shifting global values

Ukrainian combat instructor Andrejus Šildiajevas has cautioned that many in Lithuania would flee or surrender in the event of war, while global values are increasingly being replaced by brute force and financial interests, he told LRT Radio’s Svarbus pokalbis (Important Conversation).

Šildiajevas, who has trained soldiers in Ukraine, stated that the war there remains largely unchanged since its outset—Ukrainians continue to fight with dwindling numbers but unwavering resolve. “We owe our gratitude to Ukrainians, who have defended the world for four years,” he said.

When asked about a potential meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Šildiajevas joked that Zelensky would likely “do what’s necessary”—a veiled reference to eliminating Putin. He dismissed the possibility of meaningful negotiations, arguing that Ukraine faces immense pressure to capitulate. “The West needs Ukraine to stop disrupting their business,” he claimed.

Šildiajevas asserted that politics today is driven solely by money and power, with moral values discarded. “If a person has no values, neither does their country. Laws are ignored, and only the law of the strong prevails,” he said. “You can only fight for something if you have the right values.”

Addressing Ukraine’s recent recapture of 200 square kilometers of territory, he downplayed it as a tactical gain rather than a full counteroffensive, emphasizing that a major breakthrough is impossible without long-range weapons to cripple Russian logistics and supply lines. “The front has barely moved for a long time,” he noted, comparing the current situation to Europe in 1938, with Ukraine merely “holding back the clock.”

He warned that Russia is already winning the information war, citing the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under neutral flags—and, in the case of the Paralympics, even under their national symbols. “We’ve done too little. Russia is returning to the world as a victor, and history may repeat itself at a high cost,” he said.

On Lithuania’s preparedness, Šildiajevas acknowledged minor progress but criticized Europe’s lack of a unified defense structure independent of the U.S. “America has made it clear: defend yourselves; we’ll only provide a nuclear umbrella,” he said, adding that NATO’s potential deep strikes into Russia in the event of a Baltic invasion remain uncertain. “I’d like to believe it, but I don’t,” he admitted.