Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan was a guest on CNN Türk's live broadcast. Tarhan, making important assessments regarding the Ukraine-Russia war, stated that the course of the tension would be determined by the propaganda war occurring on the internet. Tarhan said; “As far as I can see, the internet will determine how this war will end. The situation has increasingly shifted towards propaganda wars.”
“Russia can buy people for use in war”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan made assessments about the Russia-Ukraine war on the live broadcast he attended on CNN Türk. Tarhan made striking evaluations about which side is ahead in psychological warfare techniques in the war between Russia and Ukraine, what techniques Ukraine uses in information warfare, and how these methods affect the war; “Russia can easily buy people to fight.” he said. Tarhan continued; “We have some patients from Russia. Many of them have very weak family ties. The proportion of people who do not call or love their mother and father is so high that if such a person comes as a soldier and has no one to worry about behind them, they can be easily bought. This is also a cultural ego that affects the war. This situation is very rare with us, but it is not so there. More than 50% of children are raised in state institutions. Russia is weaker than Europe in this regard, meaning family ties are very weak. There are many children who have been taken into care, raised in care homes. They choose military service as a guaranteed profession.”
“Russia could not form a war ideology”
Emphasizing the importance of forming an ideology in war, Tarhan stated that Russia could not form a war ideology. Tarhan said; “Russia's war ideology is very weak. Here, in terms of war ideology, a very strong justification for war could not be put forward for Russian society and the Russian military. This is a war without a sense of conviction and dedication. But Ukraine is seriously conducting a defensive war in that regard and continues the process with good leadership. Currently, psychological superiority is with Ukraine, while physical superiority is with Russia. If I consider it from a military strategy perspective, Russia seems sure to win; there is a large military force that would crush it. At this point, there is disappointment for a superpower like Russia. The reason for this is the lack of an ideology regarding the war. People need to see the war as a cause and embrace it. For a soldier to fight on the front line, they must risk their life. Because a person's most important investment is their life capital. There must be a very strong reason to risk this life capital. It must even be a transcendent reason.”
“Russia did not conduct fifth column activities in Ukraine”
Emphasizing the importance of fifth column activities that should be carried out before the war, Tarhan pointed out that Russia did not carry out any work in this area. Tarhan stated; “The other dimension of the issue is that Russian President Putin, who has a military intelligence background, did not engage in fifth column activities before starting a serious war. As part of fifth column activities, he should have gone to Ukraine to prepare the public, break the resistance among the people, transform their minds, awaken the feeling of fear there, and, if necessary, provide information on how they would act if we intervened.”
“Internet and propaganda will determine the course of the war”
Tarhan, making statements about the possible outcomes of the war, concluded his speech with these remarks; “As far as I can see, the internet will determine how the war will end. The situation has increasingly shifted towards propaganda wars. Over time, strategies will be determined based on the techniques used here. In this situation, not cutting off the internet is a favorable condition for Ukraine. Ukraine has started to receive significant global support. Here, I want to draw attention to the role of social media and the internet in how the war will end.”