Shoigu promised to defeat Europe in case of war with Russia

Shoigu warned Europe of inevitable defeat in case of military conflict with Russia

As reported by TUT.AZ with reference to "Kommersant", the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu stated that European countries increasing their defense budgets due to the alleged Russian threat would suffer inevitable defeat in case of military confrontation with Russia.

"I would like to recall the words of the great Russian commander Suvorov: 'A Russian is distinguished by faith, loyalty and reason. In vain will all of Europe move against Russia: it will find there Thermopylae, Leonidas and its grave,'" Shoigu emphasized in an interview.

At the same time, he noted that Moscow is open for equal dialogue with European capitals and is ready to discuss the architecture of Eurasian security. Shoigu did not venture to suggest which approach European countries would ultimately choose in relation to Moscow - confrontation or dialogue.

In his statement, Shoigu combined two phrases attributed to Suvorov into one. The second one mentions the Battle of Thermopylae, also known as the Thermopylae engagement. This was a battle that took place in 480 BC as part of the Greco-Persian War of 480-479 BC. It is believed that in this battle, the Greeks were significantly outnumbered by the Persians: about 5,000-8,000 Greeks fought against 200,000-250,000 Persians. The Greek army was commanded by the Spartan king Leonidas I, and the Persian army by King Xerxes I. The former died in this battle. The Battle of Thermopylae is also famous due to the legend of the heroic deed of the 300 Spartans.

Earlier, Shoigu stated that European countries are preparing for war with Russia, which could begin in 2030. He also admitted the possibility of a clash with NATO if European countries decide to send their military as peacekeepers to "Russia's historical territories" in Ukraine. According to him, "sensible politicians in Europe" understand that this would lead to the Third World War. Shoigu emphasized that Russia opposed the presence of NATO military personnel in Ukraine even before the full-scale invasion, and the war "began largely because of this threat."