Under-fire Putin now relying on North Korea even more than China, says expert
With 30,000 more North Korean troops expected to join the frontline, Kim Jong-Un is becoming Russia's closest ally.
A think tank has claimed Russia now sees North Korea as a closer ally than China or Iran due to Kim Jong-Un's assistance with the attempted invasion of Ukraine.
International Crisis Group underlined the smaller nation's willingness to supply the Kremlin with ammunition and, most notably, thousands of soldiers who have been deployed to the frontline in eastern Europe.
Moscow and Pyongyang have continued to strengthen ties since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in early 2022, with both leaders signing a mutual defense treaty in the latter capital in June of last year.
“North Korea is now a more important ally for Russia than Iran or China,” according to Oleg Ignatov, senior Russia analyst for Crisis Group.
Recently, Ukrainian intelligence sources gathered intelligence indicating Kim was set to dispatch another 30,000 troops to the battlefront, tripling their current deployment.
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Despite North Korean involvement being expected in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict in 2022, both nations only formally acknowledged this in April.
Since, the isolated nation's Supreme Leader has hailed troops as 'heroes', even appearing visibly upset amid the coffins of fallen soldiers on state television.
The spectacle was displayed at a gala performance, attended by North Korean and Russian officials, at a theatre in Pyongyang in June to commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the aforementioned defence pact.
“North Korea supplies Russia with ammunition and some types of heavy weapons. As for the North Korean soldiers, Russian sources say they are professional and disciplined," Explained Oleg Ignatov.
"At the beginning of the Kursk operation, they lacked the modern combat skills required for this type of war, which involves the use of large numbers of drones, but they quickly adapted.”
However, the partnership has been mutually beneficial, with North Korean forces gaining first-hand battle experience that they could use to their advantage.
“From a military operations point of view, North Korea now has had on-the-ground exposure to modern warfare, which South Korea does not,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a senior fellow with the nonpartisan think tank Stimson Center.
“From a policy point of view, North Korea’s improved ties with Russia give Kim Jong Un greater strategic manoeuvrability, due to immediate benefits like Russia’s oil and wheat shipments and possible transfers of military technology to North Korea, to the longer-term opportunities that Kim Jong Un appears to see by nurturing this relationship.
“North Korea’s relationship with Russia gives Kim stronger leverage vis-a-vis China, which could have broader regional implications in the longer term."
China objected to sanctions against Russia during the war's outbreak and has proclaimed to be mostly neutral in the conflict though Ukraine has claims to have captured Chinese nationals fighting for Russia and sanctioned Chinese companies it suspects are helping Russia build weapons.
