North Korea and Russia are sending political shock waves with the war actions in Ukraine

SYMBOLIC?

It is unclear what role North Korean troops can play.

“The numbers make this more than a token effort, but the troops will likely serve a supporting role and make up less than 1 percent of Russia’s armed forces,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank said in a note.

“Russia is desperate for additional manpower, and this is one part of Russia’s efforts to fill its ranks without a second mobilization,” it added, noting that its presence could grow.

The troops are also likely to play a political role for Russia and North Korea, strengthening their hands in ties with China, which has an uneasy partnership with both countries, and sending a message to Washington and its allies, Western diplomats said and analysts.

“The closer Moscow’s ties are with Pyongyang, the more influence it expects to have over both US allies and China,” wrote Gilbert Rozman of The Asan Forum for the US-based 38 North program.

Moscow needed a partner hostile to the status quo, wary of China but unwilling to antagonize it, and helpful in meeting its weapons or perhaps manpower needs, he said .

A few thousand North Korean troops won’t change the course of the war, so it could be a Russian attempt to underline to the United States how disruptive Moscow can be when it wants to, said a diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“Integrating North Korean forces into a very complex war machine is not easy. But using their presence to scare the United States and its allies in Asia is quite simple,” the diplomat said.