Recent global developments are painting a disturbing picture, increasingly resembling the onset of a Third World War. Reports suggest that North Korean troops are now stationed near Ukraine, adding a new layer of complexity to the already volatile situation. India, meanwhile, has not fully wound down “Operation Sindhur”—a decisive military initiative—which remains in a state of readiness. As the world’s fourth-largest economy, India has emerged as a strategic military power, showcasing its strength through indigenous missile systems like BrahMos, advanced ISRO-powered GPS technology, and its collaboration with Israel on drone warfare and Iron Dome-like defense systems.
Simultaneously, Pakistan continues to be heavily backed by China, with about 80% of its weaponry reportedly sourced from Beijing. The Ukraine conflict has also deepened, with Western allies and U.S. strategic interventions intensifying tensions behind the scenes. All these factors combined are pushing the world toward a tipping point.
Russia, reportedly deploying over 11,000 North Korean troops to the Kursk region and relying on Iranian drones and advanced warfare systems, continues to exert immense pressure on Ukraine. As Ukraine’s resilience is tested, alongside the battered populations of Gaza and Pakistan, the question remains: how much longer can these regions endure under such sustained aggression?
The sense of a global war is no longer distant. On Sunday, Ukraine launched “Operation Web Space,” one of its most expansive aerial offensives, striking airbases deep within Russian territory—from Eastern Siberia to Russia’s western borders—causing significant damage to Russian military aircraft. Russia confirmed that airfields across five regions and time zones were targeted, highlighting the geographical and strategic scale of the assault.
The world has now witnessed nearly three years of concurrent regional conflicts—Russia vs Ukraine, Israel vs Palestine, and India vs Pakistan—all escalating dangerously. When Moscow initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin justified the move as a defensive measure against NATO expansion. However, the global fallout continues to ripple across continents.
In this backdrop, “Operation Sindhur” marks a significant shift in India’s military doctrine—from strategic restraint to proactive precision strikes. Launched in the early hours of May 7, 2025, the Indian Air Force executed intelligence-based strikes deep inside Pakistani territory, deploying a formidable air package comprising Rafale multirole jets, Sukhoi-30 MKIs, and Mirage-2000s. The use of SCALP missiles from Rafales and BrahMos supersonic missiles delivered high-precision, minimal-collateral strikes.
It is crucial to remember that Russia, China, the United States, and India together hold thousands of deployable nuclear warheads. With such overwhelming destructive power in play, the specter of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), a doctrine from the Cold War era, is once again looming large—threatening to usher in a Third World War.