Vikrant Shekhawat : Nov 01, 2024, 02:19 PM
North Korea-Ukraine War: The presence of North Korea in the war between Russia and Ukraine has further complicated the situation. According to the US claim, about 8,000 to 10,000 soldiers of North Korea are present near the border of Ukraine to support Russia. On the other hand, Ukraine claims that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has decided to send 11,000 soldiers to Russia. However, Russia has rejected this claim and said that it is fully capable of defending itself.This intervention of North Korea can bring a new turn in the war. The army of North Korea is the Korean People's Army, which is considered the fourth largest army in the world. It has 1.3 million active soldiers and 7.6 million reserve soldiers, which is about 30% of the country's population. The army has 4,300 tanks, 8,800 artillery pieces, 810 fighter aircraft, and 70 submarines. Along with this, the army receives a quarter of the country's GDP. This army has been modernized under the leadership of Kim Jong Un and now it also keeps a stock of nuclear missiles and chemical weapons. North Korea also has 6,800 hackers, who are trained in cyber warfare and can damage the enemy's network.According to South Korea, the soldiers that North Korea has sent to Russia are part of its special operations force. This force is considered skilled in offensive operations and is also trained as snipers.Ukraine's army is also strong, although its number is less than that of North Korea. Ukraine has about 2-3 lakh active soldiers and 9 lakh reserve soldiers. This includes 2,596 battle tanks, 12,303 armored vehicles, 2,040 artillery pieces, and 772 aircraft. Ukraine's total defense budget is $ 5.4 billion and it has been continuously increasing its military capacity since the Russian attack. Modern weapons and drones received from the US and NATO allies are making the Ukrainian army more powerful. The use of drones is increasing rapidly in modern warfare and Ukraine's Dragon drone is proving to be effective in wreaking havoc on the Russian army.Ukraine's growing proximity to NATO is also giving it more military cooperation and support than Russia. NATO member countries such as the US, Britain, Sweden, Turkey and other countries have provided Ukraine with weapons, missiles, drones and guerilla warfare training. Britain sent a stockpile of anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, while Turkey has provided more than 100 attack drones.Under these circumstances, North Korea's intervention could open a new challenging front for the war.