- December 15, 2025
- 9:55 pm
- World News
On October 14, 2025, Israeli military analyst and IDF reserve officer Yigal Levin, originally from Odessa, published an analysis on his Telegram channel that caused a stir among experts. He simultaneously touched on NATO, Russia, and the entire Western approach to war — exposing what he believes prevents the civilized world from truly understanding the enemy. His post became a philosophical essay on the civilizational chasm between the West and Russia.
The editorial team of NANovosti notes: in his original posts, Yigal Levin uses sharp, emotional, and sometimes uncensored language. In this publication, the text has been adapted to preserve the meaning and argumentation, but without obscene language, to convey his position in an analytical rather than polemical format.
“The West behaves like a master. And Russia — like a savage who only understands a blow”
Levin begins with a statement from the new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who explained why the alliance does not shoot down Russian planes even after provocations.
Rutte said:
“NATO is exponentially stronger, so there is no need to demonstrate strength.”
For Levin, this is not a display of wisdom, but a mistake stemming from a misunderstanding of the enemy’s nature.
“This is the thinking of a noble master,” he writes. “When you are stronger, you can afford to be condescending. But the Russians perceive this not as magnanimity, but as weakness.”
He compares the Russian mentality to the behavior of a tribe for whom strength is the only language worthy of respect.
“The West considers itself superior. But a savage does not respect someone who does not hit. For him, silence is a sign of fear. Therefore, when NATO says ‘we do not want escalation,’ the Kremlin hears: ‘we are afraid’.”
“Russians live in a fictional world — and believe in it”
Levin argues that the key to Russian behavior lies in the phenomenon of “seeming, not being”.
This is not rhetoric, but a structure of thinking.
“A Russian does not live in reality. He lives in an invented world where it is not important how things are, but how they appear. Everything — from power to everyday trifles — is subordinated to one goal: to create the appearance of greatness.”
He provides a whole chain of observations gathered over years of working with military and political experts:
— in the Russian army “reports are written for the superiors,”
— in industry “results are imitated,”
— in propaganda “everything can be justified if the picture is beautiful.”
“It’s like living in a theater where even the dirt underfoot is decorative. Where you can talk about a ‘great people’ standing on the bones of your own citizens and still feel pride.”
Levin emphasizes that “seeming” has become not just a habit for Russia — it is a mechanism of self-preservation.
“If a Russian admits that he lives in ruins, that his ‘victories’ are bought with blood, that his culture is secondary, — he will destroy his identity. Therefore, he cannot be honest. He needs to believe in the illusion to live.”
From the tsar to Putin — a century of lies and facades
Levin shows that this mechanism did not start with Putin.
It is rooted in the very structure of the empire:
“Potemkin villages are not a historical anecdote, but a national tradition. Tsushima, Chernobyl, Beslan — these are not random disasters, but the natural result of a culture of show.”
He adds:
“In Israel, safety technology is a religion. In Russia — a joke. Because there safety is not visible in the parade. And the parade is everything.”
According to Levin, in Russia even history is rewritten for the sake of appearance:
“Victories are painted, defeats are erased, enemies are turned into allies, and crimes into ‘feats’. The main thing is that the picture does not collapse. Let everything perish, as long as the facade stands.”
“Erdogan understood that a savage needs a blow. But Rutte — does not”
Levin recalls an episode in 2015 when Turkish President Recep Erdogan shot down a Russian military plane that violated Turkish airspace.
“Erdogan did not reason who was stronger. He just struck to show where the boundary was. And the Kremlin understood. Russia no longer intruded on Turkey. Because it felt pain — the only language it understands.”
He contrasts this with the behavior of the West, which “talks about rules when the opponent recognizes only fear.”
“The West constantly explains why it is impossible to ‘provoke Moscow’. And Moscow lives by this — it exists at the expense of others’ fear.”
“The best negotiations are a kick under the table”
Levin does not call for war but argues that softness without strength is a path to disaster.
“Diplomacy without teeth is a request for an attack. The best geopolitics is not where they smile, but where they respect boundaries. And if necessary, they are defended not with words, but with actions.”
He explains why “Russian respect for strength” is not a metaphor, but a tool of governance.
“In their culture, they obey not the one who is right, but the one who is frightening. Therefore, if you want peace, be frightening.”
“A Russian volunteer can be saved — but only if he stops being Russian”
Levin writes about Russians who have broken free from this system.
“I know many — talented, conscientious, intelligent people. They are no longer ‘Russian’ in the sense that this word sounds in the Kremlin. They have squeezed this imperial lie out of themselves drop by drop. They have left, study, build anew. These are people who do not want to seem, but to be.”
He believes that for the true revival of Russia, the imperial myth must be destroyed.
“When Russians are left without a ‘great world’, ‘special path’, and ‘eternal greatness’ — only then can they become a normal people. Maybe small. But their own. Without the Gulag, without war, without eternal suffering for an idea that no one remembers.”
Who is Yigal Levin
Yigal Levin (Hebrew: יגאל לוין) was born on July 25, 1986 in Odessa.
In 1995, he moved with his family to Israel.
He served in the Israel Defense Forces from 2005 to 2010, participating in the Second Lebanon War (2006) and in the operation “Cast Lead” (2008–2009).
He became a military analyst and blogger.
Since 2016, he has lived between Israel and Ukraine, runs a popular Telegram channel @yigal_levin, collaborates with Ukrainian and Israeli publications.
He is known for his analysis of international relations, defense, and army reforms.
Among the topics are Israeli strategy, the Ukrainian war, NATO, cyber defense, and geopolitical alliances.
What this means for Israel and Ukraine
In Levin’s words, there is no cold analysis — it is a warning.
Israel and Ukraine, in his opinion, are two countries that best understand what it means to live under threat.
Both are accustomed to defending themselves, but both believe in reality, not in appearance.
For Israel, his position is a reminder: you cannot speak the language of restraint with a dictator.
For Ukraine, it is a confirmation that moral strength and honesty are stronger than imperial lies.
“Strength is not shouting and not show. It is the ability to be real. And Russia still lives in a theater where instead of reality — puppets, and instead of truth — applause.”