By Justin Lar Abuja, Nigeria
The world is edging towards a devastating conflict as Russian troops and hardware amass in large numbers at the border with Ukraine.
Already, intelligence from the US and it’s NATO allies have clearly stated that Putin’s claim that this collosal ensemble of some of the most sophisticated weaponry conceivable anywhere in the world is for military maneuver, the West is skeptical and rightfully too.
Maneuvers and military drills are standard, regular procedures with the military superpowers and their allies, but this humongous mass of Russian warplanes, tanks, artillery pieces and hypersonic missile systems calls for concern.
Frantically, a combination of diplomatic overtures and threats being made by Biden and other NATO leaders appears to have fallen on deaf ears as the world braces for another horrendous, costly conflict.
The reason why every pacifist should be concerned is because of the level of sophisticated weaponry that will be deployed in the conflict and the cost in terms of lives lost, mostly collateral damage.
Technology has redefined battle field scenarios. The Russians have the latest stealth bombers like the SU 57 and SU 27 and the MIG 27 which can avoid radar detection.
And as for missile technology, this is the age of the hypersonic missiles, which can travel at MACH 5, or five times faster than the speed of sound, completely able to evade any radar detection technology.
Drones have completely changed the Battle ground scenarios. Surveillance drones spy on the enemy, while attack drones unleash silent death from the sky .
The Russian T80 tanks are highly sophisticated monsters capable of absorbing a lot of punishment from antitank missiles and themselves death harbingers.
Specialised munitions or smart bombs will be used to cause massive damage.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a key role in the event of war.
With these deadly assembly of death available to the Russians perched on the precipice of attacking a much smaller neighbor, military analysts predict that the costs in human lives, property and infrastructure will be astronomical.
Already, the US has asked it’s citizens living in Ukraine to leave asap.
With the almost demagoguery powers of the Russian empire vested in one man, who can order an attack unilaterally, the world is at great peril.
Justin Lar is an officer of the Nigerian Immigration Service and Rextun Books author of Ultimate Daredevils.
