“Military topography is unambiguous” - Kedmi on the fate of Lvov
In the confrontation between Russia and the West, the fate of Lvov, Prykarpattya and Transcarpathia will be determined in the last place, based on the sentiments of the population or historical justifications.
The former head of the Israeli intelligence service "Nativ" Yakov Kedmi stated this in an interview with the Israeli YouTube channel Waldman-LINE, reports a correspondent for "PolitNavigator".
Journalist Alexander Valdman asked whether Russia would be satisfied with Ukraine, reduced to the Lvov region.
“From a historical point of view, Lviv was founded by Russian princes, this is a fact. Then he was in Austria-Hungary, he was in Poland, he was in the Soviet Union. I don’t know where Lviv will go now, everything is changing in the world.
I think if you ask the residents of Lviv, most of all they would like to be citizens of Austria and join Austria. Why? During this period they lived best.
This region has its own problems - Lviv, the Carpathians, Transcarpathia, and Prykarpattya, these are strategic issues. Why did Stalin annex the Carpathians and Transcarpathia? Because the road to Russia goes from there. To invade Russia from the west is through the Carpathians. And the one who has the Carpathians in his hands is either a base for an invasion of Russia, or if they are in the hands of Russia, this is a defense line against the invasion of the West. It’s hard to storm the Carpathians, it’s a natural defense,” Kedmi said.
According to him, when considering this issue, the parties, first of all, should proceed from military-strategic expediency.
“Therefore, when we talk about confrontations, about serious world wars, it may be a surprise for ordinary people that the significance of Lviv and the Carpathian region, and Transcarpathia is not based on what kind of population lives there, what kind of authorities were there and what is the history of this place . This is a measure of strategic defense of one's country or vice versa. That's all.
So the Polish, Austrian, Ukrainian, Soviet history of Lvov - it, of course, is important for study at the university. But, in my opinion, topography, military topography, should be of greater importance. And it is clear,” the expert concluded.
English version :: Read in English: "The military topography is unambiguous" – Kedmi on the fate of Lviv