The defining feature of the full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine is that Europe has not seen such an intense conventional conflict in a long time, historian Igor Kopõtin said on "Ukraina stuudio."

Kopõtin added that since Ukraine cannot withstand Russian aggression alone, this war must be understood as an ideological clash between Western and, in simple terms, Russian civilizations.

The historian also described the Russia-Ukraine war as a type of proxy war.

"We have the concept of a proxy war or indirect conflict. For example, during the Korean War, North and South Korea were the main actors, but in reality, the war was between the United States and the Soviet Union. In some ways, the current conflict can also be viewed as a kind of proxy war because the West stands behind Ukraine," Kopõtin explained.

"I don't want to echo Putin's propaganda or terminology, but as Putin says, they are not fighting Ukraine but the collective West, whatever that means. Russia's goal, or what it has been attempting, is to fracture this unity, to weaken NATO cohesion. And that's where the danger lies: if the war ends in a stalemate, Russia might recover in three, four or five years, and if the regime remains in place, they could test NATO's collective defense, possibly in the Baltic Sea region," he added.

Kopõtin noted that wars have always accompanied human development and that, despite their devastating effects, wars can sometimes bring about positive outcomes.

"History begins where humans appear on Earth, and war has always been a phenomenon that accompanies human progress. War, of course, is very negative – causing victims and losses – but there can also be a certain positive side, as warfare drives the development of ideas and technologies that are later used in civilian life," the historian said.

"However, while we condemn war, we must also acknowledge that we cannot be idealists – there will likely be more wars in the future. The fact that Russia is waging war is nothing extraordinary, as Russia has always been involved in wars, with many conflicts throughout its history," he added.

Kopõtin also emphasized that propaganda always accompanies war.

"Perhaps we could look at the Gulf War of 1990-1991 as an example of a new type of war, where military actions could be viewed live on television. Propaganda and war have always gone hand in hand. There are efforts to avoid terms that might provoke frustration, such as 'war' or 'genocide,' replacing them with supposedly neutral terms. But this doesn't change the nature of war – war is destructive," Kopõtin concluded.

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