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Why Should You Care About The War In Ukraine?

The Russo-Ukrainian War has been seemingly forgotten by the media, despite the fact that conflict is only escalating.
By REUTERS/Serhii Nuzhnenko - Bucha. Faces of War. - Ukraine War Photo Exhibition 2023, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129016714
By REUTERS/Serhii Nuzhnenko – Bucha. Faces of War. – Ukraine War Photo Exhibition 2023, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129016714

The Ukraine War seems like news from last year or even 2022. One might not realize that the war has recently reached its 1,000-day mark, with many developments occurring over the last few weeks and months which you may have not heard of since reporting on the conflict has dwindled recently. 

North Korean Soldiers

“It is likely that about 11,000 North Korean troops have moved into Russia’s Kursk region”, according to Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh

In late October, North Korean Troops entered Kursk, a region on the border with Ukraine. These soldiers were brought in to supplement the Russians who are suffering heavy losses, but according to the Kyiv Independent and Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center, the soldiers are trained in mountainous conditions much unlike the plains of Ukraine, so this is one of the reasons that they may face high casualties as well.

This is supported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who confirmed the first North Korean casualties in the war taking place in Western Russia. The North Korean soldiers will eventually likely be used as “cannon fodder,” being used instead of valuable Russian troops in dangerous missions.

ATACMS Missiles

ATACMS, which stands for Army Tactical Missile System, is a type of supersonic ballistic missile recently greenlit for use in Ukraine by the US. Some say that they were given too late, but this late approval just follows a pattern of denying support and then approving it at the last moment, according to CNN

These missiles have a longer range than the HIMARS that Ukraine currently has, so they can penetrate deeper inside Russia’s territory. During one recent strike, of the 5 missiles were launched, 3 were shot down and 2 hit their targets. Another strike caused a fire at a Russian air base, according to the BBC

These missiles have a much longer range, with the purple being the range of the new ATACMS, while the orange is the HIMARS that they have now (CNN)

Attacks On Crimea

Crimea is a peninsula jutting into the Black Sea that has historically been a shipping hub due to its prime location, connecting Russia to the Black and Mediterranean seas. This made the region a prime target for Russian expansion, with the country annexing Crimea in 2014.

Now, Ukraine is fighting for it back, with drone strikes on their biggest city, Sevastopol, “which is home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and the nucleus of Moscow’s power projection over the occupied peninsula,” writes ABC News

According to the Atlantic Council, Some other attacks were on “Russian air bases, radar stations, and communications points, along with the destruction of multiple Russian air defense systems.” These include Belbek air base, the target of repeated strikes since February 2022. Others may have struck the Nakhimov Naval Academy, according to Forbes

Why Should You Care?

This war in Ukraine only follows a long line of Putin’s attempts of imperialism, which have only become more violent as time goes on. These attempts include the squashed rebellion in Chechnya during the Second Chechen War, the invasion of Georgia in 2008, and the annexation of Crimea in 2014. This leaves us to ask what comes after Ukraine? Is it Poland? Finland? Even Japan?

This war could be the start of a major global conflict the likes of which we have not seen since World War II. The West is getting involved by sending supplies, weapons, and aid to prevent this global, potentially nuclear conflict. So why should you care? Because maybe 4 years down the line you get drafted to fight in this war. Or it goes nuclear and the world is forever changed.

The best way to prevent these scenarios is the West sending the aid that they are already. This is why it’s so harmful that Donald Trump and the Republican Party, and their stance against aid to Ukraine, won the recent Presidential election. According to the the BBC, “Senate Republicans blocked a procedural vote to advance a national security bill that includes $61bn (£48.5bn) for Ukraine.” Not only this bill, but the decrease in the amount of aid sent to Ukraine that comes with not only Trump, but the Republican majority House and Senate would only edge the world closer to conflict, and you having to sacrifice for it.

 

About the Contributor
Thomas Scanlon
Thomas Scanlon, Staff Writer
Thomas is a freshman his first year at NAEye. He is interested in subjects such as music and food. Some of his talents are playing the bass guitar in genres as various as hard rock and jazz, and being able to cook a simple meal that tastes great.