North Koreas troops reveal Putins Ukraine pickle no more cannon fodder

The war for Ukraine is widening.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Wednesday that North Korea is dispatching thousands of troops to Russia, marking a significant escalation in its conflict with Kyiv.Vladimir Putin is pulling Kim Jong Un deeper into the war — yet he is also revealing a weakness: The Kremlin is running low on recruitable troops at home.North Korea’s infusion of fresh soldiers will remain practically risk-free for Pyongyang, unless the United States returns to its aggressive sanctions posture against the Kim regime.Russia is no stranger to employing foreign armies.Cossack warriors famously fought for the tsars in centuries past.

At the end of World War II, the Red Army bolstered its ranks with Mongolian troops when it invaded China.Today, the “TikTok soldiers” of Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov are scattered across Ukraine’s front lines.And now, after nearly three years of fighting, Putin is running low on cannon fodder.

 The Kremlin is finding it difficult and expensive to entice more of Russia’s poor and desperate to sign up for the war — even with promises of bonuses and good pay.In theory, Moscow could alternatively force millions of its fighting-age men into the Ukrainian meat grinder through conscription.In practice, this option is politically perilous.The Putin regime discovered the dangers of the draft when it briefly attempted a “partial mobilization” in September 2022.

Unwilling to see their sons and husbands shipped off to Ukraine, Russians responded with howls of opposition.The government quickly backed off of the effort — informing many that their call-up orders were issued by “mistake.” Since then, Russia has relied on mercenary groups and lucrative payouts — sometimes as high as $30,000 — to make the “golden handshake” in exchange for military service in Ukraine.Even these enticements are proving to be insufficient for the Kremlin’s manpower needs.By providing fresh troops to Russia, North Korea...