As Russia continues to lose the unprovoked war it started in Ukraine, reports from a Russian ally and well-known propagandist of Vladimir Putin suggest that Chinese and North Korean volunteer fighters will fight side-by-side with the Russian military. But Vladimir Solovyov’s hopeful stance on the matter remains without sufficient context.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Putin in March earlier this year in what the Chinese government described as “a journey of friendship, cooperation, and peace.”
At the summit, Putin took the chance to emphasize the strong bond between China and Russia and promote a new era of strategic collaboration by reinforcing their “unparalleled degree of trust”. Moreover, he referred to Trump as his “good, old friend”, demonstrating their history together.
“They [Ukraine] are preparing for a great war, so it makes sense for China to meet them here in the Ukrainian fields,” state host Solovyov said on the Russian-1 television channel, per a tweet posted by Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs. “I look forward to seeing volunteers from China and North Korea.”
So, Russia is crying for help from China and North Korea?
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said in January that North Korea “firmly” supports Russia’s war effort even though the Hermit Kingdom has remained relatively silent otherwise and refrained from any major involvement.
Solovyev looks forward to seeing volunteers from China and North Korea fighting for Russia.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 7, 2023
What happened to the “second army in the world”? pic.twitter.com/PD1VkUKlps
Should China and North Korea get involved, the situation would likely become more problematic. For starters, China would be looking at a degree of international sanctions while NATO would only equip Ukraine with more weaponry – and more advanced weaponry.
Maybe North Korea would have little to lose as it’s arguably the poorest nation on earth, having dealt with international sanctions for decades. Moreover, sending thousands of North Koreans to die in another country’s war would have no impact on the dictatorial regime there. However, don’t expect North Korea to budge without China’s blessing.
… And that’s where things get complicated for Russia.
Not only would China have a lot to lose if it sent troops to assist Russia, but it would also have much to lose if North Korea, alone, sent troops to Russia because the world would know China ok’d the Hermit Kingdom’s entry into the war. Thus, everyone would be pointing their finger at China.
Arkady Moshes, from the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, recently commented on the decreasing confidence levels of Russia’s propagandists.
“In the aftermath of Xi’s visit to Moscow which did not produce many ascertaining results for Russia but followed by top-level contacts between China and the West, their [Russia’s] task is to convince the domestic audience that China does support Russia—whatever is the reality,” Moshes told Newsweek.
So, while the selling of munitions from either China or North Korea to Russia cannot be entirely ruled out, Moshes added that Solovyov’s wishes for volunteer fighters “is totally improbable.”
“Their appearance on the front, when discovered and proven, would be such a blow on the international reputation of China, that it [can] hardly afford it,” he said, adding that the risk itself would be too great.
“And without China’s consent North Korea cannot take such a decision either,” he said.
