In October 2024, the news broke that North Korea was sending troops to Russia to participate in Moscow’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Although most international responses to this development involved condemnation of this latest escalation, there was also speculation as to what North Korean forces would do and the nature of the arrangement under which they were sent.
As the answers to these questions become clearer, it is time to examine not only the effects and effectiveness of North Korean troops in combat, but the wider implications for international security and conflict management. Simply put, by turning to foreign forces, Russia shows its reliance on military means to achieve its national objectives and desperation to reduce the costs to the Russian people. Should Russia emerge from the war able to claim success, it would set several unwelcome precedents.
Thus far, North Korean forces seem to be fulfilling the role of “cannon fodder” for Russia. The Kremlin’s strategy over the past year has been to take advantage of superior resources in numbers and materiel to gain ground, slowly and at great cost, in eastern Ukraine. Capturing a few farms and villages will not, by itself, win the war. The goal is to generate a narrative not only that Russia is winning, but that Ukrainian success is impossible. Should these ideas take hold, Western governments may reconsider aiding what Moscow hopes would be perceived as a futile cause.
It would seem, however, that the Russian strategy has run into a manpower problem that led to the use of North Koreans. Russia must walk a fine line with its public, demonstrating at the same time that it can claim military progress while not sustaining casualties that would undermine support for the government.
In this light, the use of foreign forces smacks of desperation. Russia has tried to keep the presence of these troops quiet, possibly to avoid any perception that there are gaps in the armor of numerical superiority that they rely upon. But there is another fear motivating the Kremlin.