Ukraine: A Hopeless Middle-Child

From February 24, 2022, to October 7, 2023, the 2020s can be seen as an interesting timeline of continuous regional conflicts and tensions all around the globe. From escalations between Russia and Ukraine in Eastern Europe to armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, it indicates one thing: the unipolar world of the early 21st century has completely collapsed, and what we are witnessing is the transition to a multipolar world. Although the aforementioned conflicts have arisen for distinct reasons, it is possible that they are related to one another. I mean, the first thing we should ask ourselves is: who benefits the most from these wars? Obviously, the military-industrial complex, especially in the West, the demand for Western military technology has increased over the years, and now the situation is at the point where many defense contractors are complaining that they don’t have the production capability to meet all the demands of their clients.

The crisis in Ukraine, which started back in 2022, initially pitted the entire European community and Northern America against the Russian Federation, which led to a series of economic and technological sanctions against the Vladimir Putin-led government. Many of the Russian oligarchs living in Europe became targets of Interpol and various intelligence agencies by seizing their assets. Even after all these sanctions, nothing changed much in Eastern Europe. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is still ongoing; in fact, Russia is now increasing its frequency of conducting large-scale ground and aerial operations against Ukrainian forces. In the city of Avdiivka alone, the Russian military launched 50 attacks with armor support in two months. Such intensity and frequency are now putting a huge burden on the battle-hardened Ukrainian combat troops since combat fatigue and declining military resources are putting many of the soldiers in difficult positions. The average age of soldiers in the Ukrainian military serving at the front is over 40 years old, which is a bit concerning since normally the average soldiers serving at the front are between 25 and 40 years old. The ones in their late 40s and 50s include senior NCOs and officers who are mostly taking command roles or desk jobs.

Even with all these concerns, there’s also a shift in the interests of the West from Ukraine to Israel. Their change of interest is a blessing in disguise for the Russians, but a nightmare for the Ukrainians. This makes me question whether there is a possibility that the events of October 7, 2023, might be orchestrated by the Russians by providing technical support to Hamas and various other rebel outfits to launch attacks against Israel. I mean, who stands to benefit the most from the Israel-Hamas conflict? I mean, sure, Americans would get to fulfill their wishes of establishing sizeable military bases in the Middle East by sending troops, using Israel as a staging point. Yet the ones who stand to benefit more are the Russians, considering how the focus of the world has now completely shifted from Ukraine to Gaza. Ukraine, on the other hand, is now the middle child, who is likely ignored by others since the eldest and the youngest are given more importance and priority.