North Korea’s decision to send approximately 10,000 troops to Russia to fight in the Kursk region has shifted the dynamics of the Ukraine war. While many in the West argue that North Korea’s involvement has transformed this conflict into a truly international war, or even a nascent world war, it is crucial to recognize that Ukraine has effectively been a global battleground from the start. Ukraine has been fighting with the full support of NATO’s military-industrial complex, receiving continuous supplies of weapons, military trainers, strategists, and operators for much of the equipment being used on the front lines.

NATO members have provided Ukraine with crucial intelligence, gathered via their own hardware operating over the Black Sea and near the Polish border. In addition, Ukraine has employed foreign fighters, with mercenaries playing a well-documented role in the conflict. France’s Foreign Legion has even been involved in combat, especially during last year’s offensive.

Given this reality, it seems entirely logical for Russia to involve its own allies in the conflict, even if this means bringing them into direct combat under their national banners. Russia has already utilized foreign contract soldiers and drawn on the support of allies in the Caucasus, such as Chechen fighters, as well as military equipment sourced from other nations. While this may not fit the traditional image of a world war, the Ukraine conflict has become a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, with Ukrainian forces being used as a proxy for NATO rather than the alliance itself stepping into combat.

Although the exact status of North Korea’s troop deployment remains uncertain, an intriguing image surfaced on Monday that sent Western political observers into a frenzy. A joint Russian and North Korean flag was found planted deep in the Donbass region, sparking speculation that North Korean troops may already be in Ukraine. With Russia hosting the BRICS conference in Kazan over the past two days, it is likely that Russia will continue to call on its allies to bolster its position, and we can expect more North Korean soldiers to be deployed in Ukraine as the conflict progresses.