Sending soldiers from North Korea to the frontline of Russia’s war in Ukraine serves several apparent purposes. The first is economics. Put simply, the Kremlin's financial situation is nowhere near as rosy as Russian propagandists might show. Inflation in Russia is growing beyond the controlling power of the Russian Central Bank. In its efforts to curb the spiral, on Oct. 25 it raised the key rate to 21 percent per annum – the highest in 20 years.
A major driver of galloping inflation has been insane payoffs for participants in Moscow's war crimes in Ukraine. Those who agree to go to war, as well as their families, stand to receive considerable sums. For example, if a Russian soldier dies, then along with insurance money, the payouts can be as high as $130,000.
The Kremlin has already fully accustomed its subjects to the mercenary format of service. SO much so that they consider the killing of Ukrainians a family economic project. Theoretically, the Russian Federation has a large mobilization resource, but it is politically impossible to switch to the rails of free “domestic warfare” – the proletariat, who wants to fight – demands payment for their cannibalistic “services.”
North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un's systematic set of “cannon fodder” makes it possible for Russia not to fuel domestic inflation by paying for the Korean mercenaries literally with food – stolen Ukrainian grain for instance. Or nuclear technology. Or both.
Xi Calls For ’More Voices’ to Work for Peace in Ukraine
Medieval, wouldn't you say?
This is exactly where the alliance of aggressive dictatorships is trying to drag the civilized world, hiding behind the word “multipolarity” and a desire to impose a feudal system on all mankind. And in this context, what’s happening with North Korean soldiers takes on a very different meaning beyond just economics.
We’re not just talking about a few thousand young people, exhausted from systematic malnutrition, who are supposed to help Russian President Vladimir Putin cope with his problem in the Kursk region. Instead, we’re talking about a dangerous sign of strengthening military-technical cooperation between Russia, Iran and North Korea, in which the “leading and guiding” role of the Chinese Communist Party is felt.
These are no longer military specialists who went along with Iranian Shahed drones and North Korean ballistic missiles. And it is not about the supply of individual weapons and ammunition. This is a step toward joint combat operations by allied armies of such different countries. And it is one element of preparation for the resolution of a full-blown World War III, perhaps through intermediate stages such as major regional wars in the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula.
So, how can the civilized world guard against such a tyrannical alliance?
Aiming for the weak spot
Fortunately, it is quite realistic to fight a military band of dangerous lunatics. No matter how much they try to demonstrate their strength and power, and no matter how many meetings they convene of their “mutual aid fund” (BRICS), and no matter how many billions of inhabitants of the so-called “global south” they count – they have a vulnerable point – technology.
One glaring example of the technological backwardness of the axis of evil was the latest exchange of blows between Israel and Iran. An unprecedented massive strike by nearly two hundred ballistic missiles against the Jewish state was successfully repelled by modern Israeli air defense and missile defense systems.
In turn, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an air strike against Iran. About 100 modern combat aircraft of the IDF traveled 2,000 kilometers, on the way suppressing the air defense systems of Iranian allies in Syria and Iraq. These aircraft defeated the best examples of Iranian air defense – S-300 complexes supplied a few years ago by Russia – and carried out pinpoint strikes. As a result of one operation, it is probable that Israel knocked out entire air defense sectors and significantly complicated the fundamentalists' missile rearmament.
It is clear therefore that the weapons of dictatorships cannot compete with the modern weapons of the civilized world. But there are two problems – the quantity of these weapons and the political will to use them.
Taking the latter point first, the results of an Israeli retaliatory strike on Iran could have been much more substantial. The oil and nuclear facilities of the Ayatollah's regime could have been destroyed. But the US did its best to make sure that nothing would mar the future celebration of democracy in the country.
In terms of weapons quantity, The Financial Times (FT) recently published a story that Israel could face a shortage of interceptor missiles as it strengthens its air defense system. The Americans have helped in this case by deploying Israel's new THAAD missile defense system.
However, the same FT piece includes a notable quote from Dana Straul, former senior US Defense Department Middle East representative: “Israel's munitions problem is serious... the US cannot continue to supply weapons to Ukraine and Israel at the previous rate. We are approaching a tipping point.”
The West must engage
Military experts say that many requests for weapons to be sent to Ukraine are not fulfilled only because of a reluctance to engage in so-called “escalation.” It is also because these weapons are simply not available in sufficient quantities. Since the collapse of the Soviet empire, the West has believed in the “end of history” and preferred to focus on social programs to the production of missiles and shells. But it turns out that the “end of history” was short-lived.
That's the problem. Realizing its technological lag, the “axis of evil” will try to crush by quantity. Theoretically, it may succeed, causing unacceptable damage to the countries of the civilized world. This threat must be eliminated through the full deployment of the military-industrial complex in the West. There should be a plethora of technological weapons, and this is the only way democracies can ensure their security. And those countries that were the first to take the blow of dictatorships – Ukraine and Israel – should be the first to be heavily armed with them.
As for the West's phobia of “escalation” – the Israelis bombed the Ayatollah's missile factories, killed Hamas and Hezbollah arch-terrorists. The Ukrainians are carrying out effective strikes on military facilities deep inside the Russian Federation with their own forces – and the sky has not fallen to the ground yet.
The views expressed are the author’s and not necessarily of Kyiv Post.
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