"Aggression against the Russian Federation and its allies by a non-nuclear country with the support of a nuclear state will be considered a joint attack.”
— Russian President Vladimir Putin
Over the last week, outgoing President Joseph Biden has permitted the Ukrainians to use the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, within this conflict. This move surprised many Americans as these advanced weapons will target the Russian people, government, and military. Many military specialists feel that the United States and the western powers are gravitating closer to World War III over the recent expansion of this war. There has been an “Axis” of cooperation through the Chinese, North Koreans, and the Iranian support of weaponry and soldiers that are in the Ukraine.
This Lockheed Martin weapon of the ATACMS can travel about 186 miles and it has been employed to assault Russian forces in the Crimean Peninsula and in the Zaporizhzhia region. As the Ukrainians had been previously given advanced tanks, fighter aircraft, artillery guns, and intelligence to oppose the Russians, this move has sparked a firestorm from Putin. Over the last week, Putin has made aggressive claims to show power against the United
States, England, and NATO. He even threatened to “neutralize” American missile bases in Poland, who are supporting the Ukrainian military with training and equipment.
Like America, the British is a staunch military and political supporter of the Ukrainians by giving them $16.15 billion in military aid. The British recently sent the Ukrainians “Storm Shadow” cruise missiles that were utilized against Russian targets. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed the use of these missiles as being defensive and that England will help Ukraine with various weapons for as long as it takes. Through “Operation INTERFLEX” the British military has trained 47,000 Ukrainian military personnel within their territory to prepare them for this war. There are the constant fears that President-elect Donald J. Trump will not continue the American support for this war and Putin will threaten other European countries.
In a recent speech addressing the addition of these new American weapons, Putin looked visibly angered in presenting the Russian response towards this Ukrainian support. Whereas Trump has openly stated that the world is on the brink of war, he claims that he could quickly make peace between these warring countries but has yet to explain how he would end the fighting.
There has been a recent deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia in the Kursk border region, where Ukraine has occupied territory since August. It is estimated that North Korea has deployed almost 10,000 soldiers to Russia to aid Putin. Volodymyr Zelensky fears that the North Koreans will send additional reinforcements that could reach 100,000 soldiers to help the Russians regain their lost territory. While the North Koreans have an army of over 1.25 million active soldiers, outside of the communist rhetoric that is presented by their leadership, they are not combat hardened. As a globally isolated nation, there are signs that the North Koreans and Russians are having difficulties communicating with each other through this war. Although the Russians desperately need reinforcements, they are counting on a friend that has not fought a major war since 1953, sent limited forces to fight during the Vietnam War, and deployed officers to Africa to train soldiers. Outside of poorly planned incursions into South Korean territory, the North Koreans have a steep learning curve in how to wage a modern war.
There are no guarantees over the success of this new alliance that has two nuclear “saber rattling” nations trying to fight together. Since the start of this war, the Russian
military has failed miserably in handling supplies, logistics, and communication. Being a nuclear power and a nation that has also starved from famines, American military leaders will be studying the success and failures of this rogue state. Eventually, information will be gained on the quality of the North Korean 11th Corps that is also known as the Storm Corps. They are believed to be skilled in assassination, infiltration, and sabotage. These elite North Korean forces have no fighting experience, and they will face a stubborn Ukrainian foe to create massive casualties.
This is an extremely dangerous foreign policy moment that has the risk of spiraling out of control. Many American military analysts fear that a third world war could develop from the growing tensions. Previous examples, like the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand that started World War I, the Berlin Airlift,
the Soviet missiles in Cuba in 1962, and the escalation of the Cold War under President Ronald Reagan. Some of these concerns are important reminders that demonstrate how close the major powers are gravitating towards fighting each other.
Now over a 1,000-day war, with no victory in sight, Putin has lost over 600,000 casualties, at a rate of 1,200 a day. The Russians are forced to recruit 30,000 soldiers a month to support this disastrous decision to attack Ukraine. Facing immense losses, Putin recently stated, “Russian military facilities in the Bryansk and Kursk regions were attacked by Western missiles. The conflict in Ukraine has taken on global elements.” To illustrate this point, the Russians for the first time used the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile to retaliate against the Ukrainian use of longrange American missiles.