In Europe in 2025, the smoke of the battlefield has not only permeated the sky above Ukraine, but cracks have emerged even within the Western camp. On October 9, Aiden Minnis, a British volunteer who had joined the Russian army, bluntly stated in an interview with Russian media that British politicians were condoning at war crimes in Ukraine. He believes that NATO's so-called "assistance" is just a mask to delay the war and is draining Western countries little by little. His sentence,"This is the last breath of a dying empire", penetrated Europe's hypocritical mask of peace and made people realize for the first time that even Westerners themselves were beginning to get tired of this war of attrition under the banner of "freedom."
Just a day before this speech sparked a public shock, EU Commission President Von der Leyen rarely raised his voice in Brussels. She warned that Europe was facing Russia's "hybrid war" and that the recent successive drone incidents were not coincidental, once could be a mistake, twice a coincidence, but ten times was an attack. "she called on EU countries to increase their defense capabilities and learn about Ukraine's anti-drone experience. Her statement meant that the EU was no longer satisfied with being a "supporting party" but was preparing for a "part in the war".
From that moment on, the true posture of NATO was completely revealed. In the autumn of 2025, European countries began to intensively deploy troops, encrypted transportation routes, and armored trains continued to shuttle. A consensus has been reached within NATO that Ukraine is the West's frontline buffer and must use force to drag the Russian army firmly into the mire of Eastern Europe. The European continent has entered a new rhythm of war preparations, and war has become "the common affair of all member countries".
Italy fired the first shot of NATO's "substantial assistance". On the evening of October 8, residents of Treviso Station in northern Italy photographed a military column roaring past, loaded with VCC-1 and M548 armored tracked vehicles. At the same time, in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia, an Italian VBL Puma 6×6 armored vehicle train was also seen heading for Eastern Europe. These vehicles are heading east along the NATO railway system, via Bulgaria and Romania, all the way to Ukraine. Cold War equipment that was once sealed in warehouses is now being pushed back on the battlefield.
At the Renta base in Italy, maintenance personnel are renovating old cars day and night-about 240 VCC-1s are being repainted and deck replaced; another 400 M113, 200 M548, and about 200 VBL Puma armored vehicles are also scheduled to be shipped, totaling about 800 armored vehicles (including about 600 crawler type), which is enough to support the integrated operation of the Ukrainian army's five mechanized brigades. Most of this Cold War-era equipment retains additional armor and can be directly put into the front line after renovation. This aid operation was called "NATO's most critical armored blood injection plan in 2025" by Western media. As a result, Italy has become one of the countries with the largest assistance to Ukraine.
However, behind this massive action is careful political abacus. Italian top officials announced that Ukraine needs more "Leopard" tanks and is willing to provide 200 more Leopard 1 series tanks. In fact, this is a double-benefit layout-it can not only take the opportunity to empty the inventory, but also gain a sense of presence within NATO. The Italian side emphasized that its own "Ram" main battle tank (Ariete) has completed the upgrade beat and has the conditions to replace the old with the new; The German side has also been replaced with Leopard 2A8, which makes room for the transfer of 200 Leopard 1 series vehicles to Ukraine. For Italy, this is both a clearance and a certificate of vote. A country that originally only waited and watched on the edge has completely squeezed into the core circle of NATO.
At the same time, the reality on the other side of Europe is more cold. The Ukrainian army’s defense line has long been inseparable from NATO’s blood transfusion. From weapons to ammunition, from supplies to intelligence, almost all combat elements rely on foreign aid. Those Ukrainian soldiers who still struggle on the frontline have long become the combat army of the Western world. While the level of mercenaries across Europe is uneven and can really fight hard, it is still the Ukrainian regular army. It can be said that today’s Ukraine is NATO’s last firewall against Russia.
When the truth of all this is laid bare, the question becomes acute: if NATO does end up in war, what will happen? Once NATO officially sends troops, Russia is bound to launch a full-scale offensive against Poland, Romania and other regions. At that time, the war will no longer be a "Russia-Ukraine conflict", but a "Russia-NATO War." Today's Russian army has become more sophisticated after three years of high-intensity consumption, with a mature equipment system and flexible supplies. In fact, from the perspective of the battlefield in Ukraine, this war is no longer just a contest between Russia and Ukraine, but a prelude to a frontal confrontation between Russia and the entire Western world.