It looks to some that the conflict in Ukraine is once again on the brink of escalating into World War 3.
At a dizzying rate, the boundaries set on both sides are being repeatedly violated. There was news yesterday that Biden is going to greenlight the deployment of American PMC (Private Military Company) forces to Ukraine to assist with fixing damaged equipment. North Korea plans to send personnel to Russian-held Donbas Oblast within a month with the same idea.
A week has passed since Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a military accord during Putin’s formal state visit to the DPRK.
According to the military pact, if one side is forced into war by an offensive from another state or states, each side must promptly provide all available military and other forms of aid.
In retaliation, Pyongyang said earlier this week that it would deploy a military engineering group to provide help to Russian soldiers operating in the Donetsk area. Next month, the soldiers might be on the battlefield.
Approximately two million rounds of artillery, rockets for the Russian multiple-launch rocket systems, and ballistic missiles have reportedly been delivered by North Korea since September 2023.
The towns in eastern Ukraine that Russia seized would reportedly be rebuilt with the assistance of North Korean engineers and construction soldiers.
According to a South Korean government source, the troops are expected to show up as early as June and will mainly assist with reconstruction efforts in the severely damaged Donetsk area.
According to the source, three of North Korea’s four engineering brigades would be sent to Ukraine in return for an annual bounty of $115 million from Russia.
The unidentified official said that the goal is to reconstruct a city decimated by fighting but did not provide any other details.
At this time, it is not clear if the troops would have to engage in combat.
Russia is already confronting reduced weapons inventories and a defense sector hindered by Western sanctions. North Korea is clearly an important supplier.
