Elis Vllasi: Analyzing the first 24 hours of Russia's invasion

On February 24th, Elis Vllasi spoke to 980 CKNW's Ben O'Hara-Byrne about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

"Russia has used the same playbook since the 19th century," says Vllasi. "Now, we see a more updated playbook to make better use of the existing technologies."

The playbook, "is always to operate in the fog of war," he says. "It is to split or fragment aliances. It is to make use of the people you have on the ground, so that when you invade it is not necessarily 'an invasion', but 'a liberation'."

He also cited 20th-century and 21st-century examples when Russia used the same playbook:

• 1992: Moldova
• 1992, 2008: Georgia
• 2014: Ukraine, Crimea

When asked if there was a way to force Russia to take a step back, Vllasi responded that Russia seemed fully committed to their course of action.

"I'm sure there will come a point when Russia will sit at the table, but it will sit at the table as the victor and will be able to set the terms of whatever peace may come about," he says. "We have seen this in the past as well. They do negotiate from a position of power."

Listen to Elis Vllasi's full interview here.

Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in these media interviews belong solely to the interviewees, and not necessarily to Simon Fraser University's Department of Political Science.