'We Are Now on the First Hump of a World War. There Will Be Two Humps'

Russia may face several decades of conflict and geopolitical confrontation, experts assumed on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), while discussing principal threats that the country faces during the second quarter of the 21st century. During the session, titled "The Main Threats Facing Russia in the Second Quarter of the 21st Century," political analyst and Rosneft CEO adviser Andrei Bezrukov argued that modern warfare has fundamentally changed. Rather than focusing on territorial occupation and conquest, contemporary conflicts aim to exhaust opponents and undermine their resilience. Experts Warn of Long-Term Global Confrontation "What we see today is happening both on our fronts and in the Middle East — leaders and critical infrastructure are being targeted," Bezrukov said. In his view, Western countries seek to avoid a direct nuclear confrontation with Russia while gradually increasing pressure through a strategy he described as "boiling the frog slowly."