Several ongoing confrontations have been going on for a while, intensified in 2022. Vladimir Putin referred to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February as a "special military operation" after threats and the mobilization of troops near the border. Think again if we believe Russia's war in Ukraine was the deadliest. Over 6,00,000 people are thought to have died in a terrible war raging in East Africa for the past two years. In a similar vein, battles are still raging in Yemen and Syria. Napoleon, Adolf Hitler, and Joseph Stalin all had to maintain their armies progressing in the face of a severe winter, and now, after a quick counteroffensive that helped Ukraine retake more lost territory than ever since the invasion started in February, Russia's incursion of its neighbor appears to have gained a hit on the ground. According to NATO commander Jens Stoltenberg, although we pay a financial price for war, the Ukrainian people pay a blood price. Here is a quick overview of the battles that are now occurring around the globe as 2023 begins.
Ukraine-Russian War
As Vladimir Putin began a particular military campaign in eastern Ukraine in early February, he declared that his nation was prepared for any outcome. Since then, Ukrainians have bravely resisted the Russian assault for 308 days. Even as Russian forces came near to taking the mere city months into the war, In a video message from the streets of Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky declared, "The people are here, and we are here." As the conflict enters its winter phase, missile, artillery, and drone attacks on Ukrainian towns, cities, and energy infrastructure continues claiming thousands of lives and uprooting millions of people. The outcome of Russia's spring offensive will be the primary deciding factor for 2023. Two hundred fifty thousand newly mobilized Russian soldiers are training for the upcoming year, while newly mobilized Russian troops are already on the front lines. Until a brief ceasefire is negotiated, it seems there is no option except to continue the fight. But Ukraine has made it plain that it is still battling for its existence, and Vladimir Putin has made it clear that he will not relent. Recently, Russia rejected Zelenskyy's ten-point peace plan and stressed that any plan to resolve the conflict must consider the current conditions in the territories it has "annexed." For there to be peace, Ukraine would have to consent to the annexation of the region by Russia, which it is unwilling to do. The primary battleground in the upcoming months is anticipated to be Melitopol following Kherson City since Ukraine will be able to proceed to the Azov Sea after taking Melitopol and cutting off supply and communication connections to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2018.
TAIWAN-CHINA CONFLICT
Following a visit by a US diplomat to Taiwan, tensions increased for weeks as China, which asserts sovereignty over Taiwan, launched warships in its direction, fueling fears of an impending invasion. The number of warplane incursions into Taiwan's defense zone has increased by a record since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island. China has so far used the exercises, which more closely resemble an actual attack on the island, to learn about its military capabilities. According to US military experts, Beijing may look for an army solution within the next few years. Under President Xi Jinping, China has been more adamant in its demands that Taiwan is brought under its authority, using force if necessary. The United States, which recognizes the Beijing administration while allowing for informal connections and defense links with Taipei, continues to argue that it has not departed from its "one-China" policy. In December, China conducted "strike drills" in the sea, and the airspace surrounding the island in response to what it described were acts of aggression from Taiwan and the United States. We still don't know how the conflict will develop in 2023.
CONFLICT AT THE INDIA-CHINA BOUNDARY
On December 9, soldiers from India and China engaged in combat along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang area of Arunachal Pradesh. This was the first known border conflict between the two countries' militaries since 2020. The Indian troops successfully resisted the Chinese PLA soldiers when they attempted to destroy an Indian garrison in the area, which the Chinese had planned to do. Both teams reported minor injuries. The neighbors repeatedly clashed after a similar border incident in Galwan in 2020. Over 40 Chinese soldiers were killed or injured in the conflict, which also claimed the lives of 20 Indian jawans. The two sides decided to withdraw from the crucial areas after numerous discussions and meetings, but it is still unclear how the border war would play out in 2023.
THREAT FROM NORTH KOREA
In 2022, North Korea launched numerous missiles at South Korea. For the first time since the end of the Korean War in 1953, a short-range ballistic missile crossed the de facto maritime border between the two countries and landed close to the South's territorial waters. These events indicate rising tensions between the two Koreas. As a result of the UN's impasse over Ukraine, North Korea appears to have taken advantage of the chance to carry out prohibited missile launches. China, Pyongyang's principal diplomatic and commercial partner, backed Russia in vetoing a US-led effort at the UN Security Council to impose stricter sanctions on North Korea in May. Following the fall of Japan in World War II, the Korean peninsula was divided. In 1948, North Korea was established by Kim Il-sung, the first of three generations of the Kim family to dominate the country. The US recognized South Korea as a republic in the same year. North Korea attempted to conquer South Korea in 1950 as part of its communist agenda to merge the two countries into a single independent state, but after three years, an agreement was struck, and the conflict was over. However, the two countries fired missiles off one another's coasts this year for the first time since the Korean War. North Korea's nuclear danger is a topic of discussion as the year ends, particularly after President Kim Jong Un revealed new military objectives at a party conference on December 28.
ETHIOPIAN CONFLICT
According to a Guardian report, the ongoing civil war in Ethiopia is estimated to have claimed more than 600,000 lives. It has been going on for more than two years and is deadlier than the conflict in Ukraine. The war started when Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military operation in the disputed Tigray area. This year, reports of human rights violations and the malnutrition of 6 million people were widespread. In November of this year, a mutually agreed-upon truce appeared to bring the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea to a close. However, ceasefire violations continue to occur, and additional Tigray residents could be displaced as the battle continues through 2023.
CRISIS IN YEMEN
The crisis in Yemen should be closely watched because, after eight years of fighting, the humanitarian situation is anticipated to worsen in 2023. The conflict in Yemen has received less attention than the one in Ukraine, which is concentrated in Europe. At least 70% of the population relies on assistance to survive. According to several media sources, 19 million people face a food crisis, up from 16 million in 2021. Yemen is on the verge of hunger due to the battle between pro-government forces and Huthi rebels. Despite the agreed-upon ceasefire, Yemen still depends on Russian wheat.
Conclusion
Leaders must understand the value of expert diplomacy and collaboration in the globe today. Due to the impossibility of unilateralism, states still rely on the international system to resolve conflicts and tensions. The system is all too capable of destroying itself. Thus failure to do so could have disastrous results.
