First Chargé d’Affaires to Ukraine, Charleston resident discusses Russian invasion

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – For over 30 years, Jon Gundersen has worked in foreign service with a special focus on post-Soviet states. He was the man in charge when the United States first established consular relations with the budding country, and when Ukraine established independence he was appointed acting ambassador.

Gundersen has since retired and now lives on Sullivan’s Island, but he remains very much plugged in to the happenings in that part of the world. Like the rest of the world, he has watched in horror over the past 24 hours as Russian forces have swept the country with attacks from the air, ground, and sea. On Thursday, he spoke to News 2’s Brenden Clark about his assessment of the current situation.

Gundersen said that most westerners have a hard time processing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions because there is a disconnect in the mindset.

“[Putin’s] main goal is to stay in power, to recreate the Russian empire… He doesn’t think like we do.”

Putin has created a false narrative, in Gundersen’s estimation, that the public supports his quest to resurrect the Soviet Union. Gundersen says the overwhelming majority of Russians and Ukrainians favor independence. “When I was there, they had the vote for independence. 92% of Ukrainians voted for independence, including most of the Russian speakers,” he said.

While Gundersen acknowledged the Russian military has the upper hand, he said that Ukrainians are ready to fight for their country, and we can help them:

“We should give them the capability by giving them sniper rifles and anti-tank [missiles] … and information. We need to engage the Russians psychologically.”

Russia’s use of psychological, information, and cyber warfare is emblematic of the changing nature of war, and Gundersen says that the U.S. has long been perfecting hybrid warfare strategies. He doesn’t see a scenario in which the U.S. and Russia are engaged in a traditional combat war, but was quick to acknowledge that predictions are getting harder and harder to make.

The key to defeating Russia — and deterring other authoritarian regimes like China — is a united NATO front and a united front in the United States, according to Gundersen. “We can argue about these other issues,” he said, “but right now we need a unified approach.”