Conflict Pushes Further Into Russia After Drone Attacks In Moscow – The Organization for World Peace
On June 18th, Russia saw the conflict with Ukraine reach further into its borders. Ukraine launched a drone assault on Moscow, focusing on strategic targets like an oil refinery that took significant damage, according to the BBC. This drone assault comes after a recent attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, by Russia. This new wave of combat is reflective of the broader changes in the war, with drone attacks being a focus for both sides. Ukraine has made drone warfare a focus of its strategy in the conflict, using it to attack Russian supply lines and incorporating AI technology into drones for strategic targeting, as was reported by the BBC in March. This is a new age of combat, especially for nations like Ukraine that may lack the manpower of their adversaries. New strategies like drone warfare have allowed Ukraine to defend itself from further Russian advancements and bolster its defenses to help prevent civilian harm, as well as protect its infrastructure. With the conflict being at a current stalemate after rounds of failed peace negotiations, the question that remains after over 12 years of conflict is, when will it end?
Civilian suffering has been a major consequence of the Ukraine-Russia war, with civilian infrastructure being continually attacked within Ukraine by missile strikes. Across Ukraine, the scars of war remain apparent. Fields of drone wiring highlight that this new age of conflict, though less face to face, still shows in physical form. The continual and further disconnect of humans to combat has brought fears of the further dehumanization of war, with the question being, do new conflict strategies such as drone and long range missile attacks further the risk for civilian harm? The war in Ukraine has truly become the face of what a modern age war looks like. Across Ukraine, cities and towns have been destroyed by missile bombardment, fields have been covered in drone wiring, and the environment has been destroyed; parallels to World War I have been made by The New York Times, with Russia’s most recent invasion of Ukraine now lasting longer than World War I itself.
The question that remains is how this war can end—but now, we must also question if the strategies actively being used by Ukraine and Russia, allowing for increased computer control and less direct human interaction, have caused a separation resulting in a deepening lack of empathy and human disconnect. Has this new age of combat increased the likelihood of human suffering, and how can that be resolved? The priority must be to bring peace, and end the years’ worth of suffering being endured by those caught in the crossfire of the conflict.