No Military Victory for Ukraine | General Erich Vad

We’ve just released a crucial new interview for our upcoming documentary “World War III,” featuring General Erich Vad, a retired Brigadier General of the German Armed Forces and former military‑political adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel. His perspective cuts through the propaganda that has dominated public discourse on the war in Ukraine.
Vad focuses on a core tension that few in power want to discuss: the growing divide between the political objectives of Western elites and the actual will of European citizens. While governments continue to pour money, weapons and political capital into the conflict, ordinary people in Germany, France, the UK and beyond are more concerned with collapsing living standards, uncontrolled migration and unresolved domestic crises than with fighting Russia.
He also delivers a sharp critique of the current political class in Europe, especially many “Green” and left‑liberal leaders who have never served in the military or experienced war firsthand. In his words, they “never had a helmet on their head” and behave “like kids” who simply do not understand what war really means, yet they are the ones making decisions that risk escalation on the continent.
Another key theme of the conversation is Europe’s loss of strategic relevance. Vad traces the deterioration of Russo‑European relations over recent decades and the central role the United States has played in shaping the current confrontation. While he acknowledges that NATO remains essential, he argues that Europe — and Germany in particular — must develop real strategic autonomy, with its own clearly defined interests in stability, energy security and lasting peace.
As Vad puts it, decisions over war and peace are now taken in Washington and Moscow, not in Brussels, Berlin, London or Paris. Europeans, he warns, are “completely out of the game.” Reversing this trend means reclaiming a genuinely European voice and positioning Europe as a mediating power rather than a passive battlefield between competing empires.
This interview is a central piece of the “World War III” documentary and an important contribution to the debate over where our current trajectory is leading us. If you believe these questions matter, please:

• Share the interview with friends, colleagues and family members — especially those who still trust the official narrative by default.

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If you value the project, please donate to the cost of it’s production. It has been a herculean task conducting 25 interviews in 7 countries with high level dignitaries to help the public through this tumultuous time.

Thank you for supporting World War III: The Documentary!

Best,
James Patrick
Director, WWIII The Documentary