While Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was correct to say that one of the goals of the West’s support of Ukraine should be “to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine,” we need to be thinking about how Russia will equip, train, and utilize its military in the future. What kind of military will Russia attempt to rebuild? How will that affect geopolitical relations? How will Western militaries need to pivot to counter Russia? And will Russia feel the need to rely on—and maybe use—nuclear weapons in the future?

So while the destruction of massive amounts of Russian military equipment in Ukraine may signal progress toward the end of hostilities, it may also be the beginning of a more dangerous phase of relations with Russia.

Dr. Edward Salo is an associate professor of history and associate director of the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro Arkansas. Previously, Salo worked for cultural resources management firms for fourteen years protecting prehistoric and historic resources across the globe. He is researching the weaponization of heritage in irregular warfare.

Image: Reuters.