The Kuma Academy, which provides civilians with civil defense training, hosted several defense experts from Ukraine on Friday, who shared their insights with participants. One expert said the best approach to self-defense was to be prepared for the worst. Another said that it was important for the general public to not ignore the fact that a Chinese invasion is a real possibility.

The Russia-Ukraine War has stretched for more than two years now, but even then, Ukraine’s government and its people have continued to resist Russia. More than 8,000 kilometers away, Taiwan is trying to raise awareness about civil defense. To that goal, the Kuma Academy gathered three Ukrainians to talk about their first-hand experiences.

Marriia Makarovych
Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine
In Taiwan I can see frequently when people deny the thoughts that a potential invasion can happen, and the fact that this threat is real. Because in Ukraine we have the same experience. It was like one week before full-scale invasion.

Yurii Poita
Center for Army Conversion and Disarmament Studies
It’s better to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. This is one of the mistakes that Ukraine did. We did many things but also many things we didn’t do. We didn’t believe in the full-scale war to the extent that they should be prepared.

The speakers said more people should be trained in Taiwan, adding that technological advances had brought changes to warfare. They urged the military to break away from traditional and conservative thinking and cooperate more deeply with civilians while being wary of unconventional forms of warfare employed by powerful nations.

Dmytro Burtsev
NCCU College of International Affairs
Russian Federation has chosen the best moment. The ratings of the Ukrainian president in government was really low. They hoped that their hybrid warfare was successful to control Ukraine very fast and without big efforts.

Chu Fu-ming
Kuma Academy
The incoming government under Lai Ching-te has put a lot of emphasis on this front. Today’s event was co-organized with the National Police Agency. Finding ways to form links between government agencies and the public is very important.

The Ukrainain civil defense experts said that countries around the world would be willing to help Taiwan in a time of need as long as they see its commitment to self defense.

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