In the complex panorama of contemporary conflicts, the voice of those with solid strategic and doctrinal expertise offers an indispensable key to reading beyond the curtain of slogans and alarmism in public debate. In an in-depth interview granted to Il Quotidiano del Sud and signed by Vittorio Ferla, Colonel of the Army Reserve Giorgio Orio Stirpe — also known to the public for his valuable contributions as a guest on the Brigatafolgore Video Streams — has drawn a lucid and articulate assessment of the state of the conflict in Ukraine, the real weight of Moscow's threats and the hypocrisies that characterize the foreign and defense policy of European countries, Italy first and foremost.

The clash of the millennium and the disproportion of global theaters

At the outset, Stirpe invites us to restore a sense of proportion in international media coverage, stigmatizing the tendency to equate radically different crises: «On our media the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran are on the same level, but in Ukraine there is a total war that has already caused 2 million deaths and 1500 people die every day. Comparing them means completely losing a sense of proportion. In Iran there is a poorly conducted skirmish, in Ukraine the war of the millennium is being fought».

Ukraine's contribution and the shift in relations with Washington

A crucial element highlighted by the colonel concerns the shift in perspective within the U.S. administration, favored precisely by Kyiv's active role. Despite the difficulties, Ukraine has demonstrated a high capacity for reaction, sustaining air defense in the United Arab Emirates, striking Russian naval assets in the Caspian Sea and offering solid solidarity to the United States in the media. «The Ukrainians are the only ones who can give advice on how to deal with Shahed drones. Trump appreciates these things: the attitude towards Kyiv has changed», Stirpe observes, linking this dynamism also to the CIA Director John Ratcliffe's trip to Moscow, a clear signal of the return to prominence of the pro-Ukraine faction in Washington and the inescapable centrality of NATO's Article 5.

The reality of the Russian threat: between nuclear myth and structural vulnerabilities

On the strictly military level, Russia's offensive capacity is being downscaled: Moscow does not have the force to truly threaten NATO countries on a conventional level, nor does the hypothesis of an atomic attack find concrete evidence. Regarding the recurring rhetoric on nuclear weapons, Stirpe defines it without mincing words as «a farce that comes up every six months. The usual threat devoid of foundation», recalling that on a military level the use of atomic weapons would offer no strategic advantages and would expose Russian troops — lacking adequate NBC protection — to catastrophic consequences, beyond definitively isolating the Kremlin even in the eyes of key allies such as China.

On the contrary, the real danger lies in hybrid warfare: sabotage, drones launched from merchant vessels, cyberattacks, destabilization maneuvers in the Baltic countries and disinformation campaigns. A gray zone that NATO struggles to contain and that would require specialized agencies dedicated to it. Paradoxically, Russia proves to be extremely vulnerable: thanks to the widespread presence of human networks and advanced intelligence, Ukraine is able to strike in depth (as in the case of the Wildberries logistics hub), exploiting Moscow's poor satellite reconnaissance and infiltration capacity.

The hypocrisy in political defense management

There is no lack of a severe judgment on the Italian ruling class. According to Stirpe, our country lives in complete hypocrisy: aid is sent to Kyiv — focusing on supplies like generators but remaining silent about missiles — but it is done «with shame», held hostage by public opinion inclined to hysteria and a politics incapable of transparent information. While serious nations like Norway historically educate their citizens to resilience and awareness of risks through manuals and public directives, in Italy the foreign policy of non-power nations ends up being entirely subordinate to the conventions and fears of domestic politics.

References and Sources: Interview by Vittorio Ferla published in Il Quotidiano del Sud – L'altra voce dell'Italia (August 28, 2026). Analysis and in-depth contributions from sessions of the Brigatafolgore Video Streams.