If Russia invades Ukraine, the initial battle is expected to be “short, sharp and extremely deadly,” stated senior and retired military officials that spoke with SaraACarter.com. Moreover, those same officials believe any invasion will lead to a lingering Ukrainian-insurgency that will exacerbate and intensify a crisis for years to come, according to a top retired military commander who worked with NATO operations.

Retired Lt. Gen. Robert Wood spoke with Jerry Torres, a retired Special Forces military officer and currently an investigative documentary filmmaker working with SAC media. Wood contends Russian President Vladimir Putin is establishing his global presence by using extreme military maneuvers along the Belarus border with Ukraine which could trigger NATO ‘Article Five’ discussions between members.

A local resident of the Ukrainian-controlled village of Stanytsia Luhanska, gestures as she cleans up debris from her home after the shelling by Russia-Backed separatists (Photo by ALEKSEY FILIPPOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Further, Russia’s move to place 150,000 plus troops along the border with Ukraine is just the beginning of a new conflict bearing all the hallmarks of a new cold war between the west and a new Russo-Putin empire, Wood said.

Foreign correspondent & retired U.S. Special Forces @JerryW_Torres had an EXCLUSIVE interview for #TheSaraCarterShow with Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Robert Wood. Listen to his assessment of the looming crisis w/ Ukraine/ Russia
DOWNLOAD the Full podcast: https://t.co/kO1hR11H6q pic.twitter.com/H0LG3hu6IT

— Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) February 18, 2022

“We have two NATO nations that are really along the Black Sea, and they too, are going to be threatened – Bulgaria and Turkey,” said Wood, referring to Russia’s threat on Ukraine, which declared its independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991.

With regard to Putin, Wood told Torres, “I think right now, there’s a lot of demonstration and staging going on, that signals to NATO and signals to the world that Putin is back on the stage.”

He said Putin uses the attention to build his reputation at home and in the public.

“It demonstrates his power in the region,” Wood said. “And I think it has actually added to his ability to attract China as we’ve seen lately, to become a closer ally.”

Wood warned as well, that “it’s not just the Ukraine problem.”

FULL INTERVIEW:

Wood added, “if there’s an offensive action against Ukraine, it will immediately threaten countries of NATO – it may not trigger Article Five, but it might, it might trigger a look at the Article Five provisions of the NATO compact that says an attack on one, is an attack on all.”

Wood told Torres “there’ll be a debate, it will be part of the discussion. And once again, that’s exactly what I think Putin wants to have. He wants to bring that to the top, force the discussion and play his hand. It’ll be interesting to see how that turns out.”

Wood warned that Ukraine’s second largest natural gas reserves, comparable to Norway in Europe, is also what Putin is eyeing. Wood said Putin “has enormous capacity to store gas and oil capabilities in Ukraine itself. It’s a prize in this world of energy and portance of energy. And for Russia in particular.”

He added, “Ukraine has these reserves and the storage capability that not only allow it to be a nation to stand on its own, but also to be a remarkable prize for Putin.”

Wood told Torres: “I think this conflict, if it starts, is going to be short, sharp and extremely deadly.”

“If you look at the nature of the systems, and the opposition of strengths and weaknesses to Ukraine forces, again I think it will be short, sharp and extremely bloody, but it’s not going to stop quickly,” he added. “I think there will be a counter-insurgency, or after the conventional stage – we’ll have guerilla war.”

A retired senior Military official familiar with the Eastern European region who spoke on condition of anonymity due to their work, stated that “while Russia has the capability of taking the major Ukrainian cities, an insurgency will form that will be highly effective in degrading Russian control and morale for years to come.”

“The Ukrainian people are tough. And having had a taste of freedom and Democracy, there is no doubt they, for the most part, do not want to return to Russian satellite nation,” the official added.

On Friday the Associated Press reported a humanitarian convoy was hit by shelling and ‘pro-Russian rebels’ were evacuating civilians from the area where conflict had escalated. There were also numerous news reports of a car bombing in Donetsk and other reports of shelling hitting an elementary school. There were no casualties as of yet, according to reports.

Moreover, the Kremlin has continued to flex its muscle with nuclear drills on the border, while U.S. and European leaders continue to search for diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.

Jerry Torres contributed to this story. 

You can follow Sara Carter on Twitter @SaraCarterDC

You can follow Jerry Torres on Twitter @JerryW_Torres