While risky, Russia's deployment of North Korean troops is a powerful signal to Beijing, according to Matt Brazil, a Jamestown Foundation Research Fellow and former US Army officer and diplomat specializing in modern Chinese history.
Earlier, South Korea’s intelligence indicated that Pyongyang sent 3,000 troops to Russia and plans to deploy 10,000 by December to support Russia in its war against Ukraine. As per the Ukrainian military, the first DPRK military units, trained at Russia’s eastern training grounds, have already arrived in the combat zone in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
"Russia is demonstrating its willingness to take extreme measures not only to win in Ukraine but also to set precedents for future military partnerships," Brazil told Euromaidan Press. "Moscow is essentially telling Beijing: 'We'll support you in whatever you choose to do along your periphery in the coming years.'"
Brazil explains that China's strategy in Ukraine reflects broader geopolitical ambitions. Beijing aims to weaken the US-led international order and prevent NATO from expanding its influence in Asia. These goals align with China's core objectives: annexing Taiwan, controlling the South China Sea, and securing vital maritime routes for potential conflicts.
“Supporting Russia in Ukraine helps undermine NATO, which serves these broader aims,” Brazil notes.
However, this strategy risks backfiring. The presence of North Korean forces near European borders could actually strengthen NATO unity because if there's one thing that people don't want to see on their borders, it's North Korean troops, not to mention Russian troops.
Read more:
- Kim Jong-un sends his elite forces to Ukraine -“too valuable to be cannon fodder,” says former US diplomat
- South Korean intelligence confirms North Korean troops moved to Russian front lines
- South Korea to send delegation to Ukraine this week over North Korean troop presence
- Kim Jong-un sends his elite forces to Ukraine -“too valuable to be cannon fodder,” says former US diplomat
- NATO confirms presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast
- WSJ: North Korea sends young, inexperienced, malnourished soldiers to Russia to test ground in Ukraine as “mere cannon fodder”
