Two tyrants against all. Why are Putin's trips to North Korea Russia's downfall?

The war with Ukraine has brought Moscow and Pyongyang much closer together, as North Korean ballistic missiles have repeatedly fired at Ukrainian cities. The Russian dictator simply realized that China would not provide any more weapons and technology than it was already providing, because it could then face Western sanctions. Beijing was directly warned about this by none other than Antony Blinken.

Also, the Kremlin is increasingly thinking about the price of Chinese support, which must be paid for with very low gas prices. And here Xi Jinping is twisting Putin's arm, just as he used to blackmail Europe. And we shouldn't forget that China demands critical infrastructure in exchange for machine tools and microchips. And after China declared Vladivostok a "transit port for domestic trade" last year, Moscow began to think that the Far East could become "an indigenous Chinese territory."

Just the other day, Putin finally gave in to China on the issue of control over the Tumangan River, which flows into the Sea of Japan. Russia itself was considering this water resource to strengthen its position in Northeast Asia. But in the end, Putin gave in for access to electronic components and machinery. Now China is planning to demolish the old Soviet bridge on the river and get free passage for large Chinese ships, which will create additional pressure on Tokyo. One can only cheer here, because such decisions make Japan furious, as it became a reliable partner of Ukraine during the full-scale invasion.

Russians living near the Chinese border are already keeping their noses to the grindstone. They are learning Chinese and are not averse to marrying a Chinese man - it is more profitable than becoming the wife of a local alcoholic who will use you as a punching bag. This year, the governor of the Amur region, Vasily Orlov, recorded a New Year's greeting in Chinese. The calculation is correct - the new masters, the Chinese, must know that there are ready and loyal serfs here. Who have mimicked the Chinese in advance.

''Putin's trip to North Korea is an attempt to show that we can do anything and are not afraid of Washington. The two dictators have already expressed their full support for each other on the issue of "special military operation in Ukraine."''

Putin was accompanied by several top officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. It is therefore likely that discussions could go beyond short-term conventional arms deals. Finally, the two autocracies will agree on closer military cooperation, including joint development of weapons systems. For such an agreement, North Korea will want more than just food and fuel supplies. Kim Jong Un is interested in Russian military space technology and currency.

Before Russia's attack on Ukraine, North Korea's military-industrial complex was in deep stagnation, so the current war is an opportunity for them to give people an extra bowl of rice. Last year, Pyongyang helped Russia a lot when it became clear that its military stockpiles were depleted after the massive burning of Donbas. Therefore, the massive supply of North Korean shells, ammunition for Soviet guns, missiles for Grad multiple rocket launchers, and a certain number of tank shells was a lifesaver for Putin. For a second, the second largest army in the world was asking for pants support from an odious regime of a third-rate state! Amazing, but true.

In return, Russia is helping North Korea launch a spy satellite. According to South Korean media reports, a number of Russian specialists traveled to Pyongyang specifically for this purpose.

''If you look at the military-industrial complex program, this year Kim Jong Un has set a goal to launch three new satellites and continue to produce and develop nuclear missile capabilities, powerful UAVs, and electronic warfare equipment. It is expected that part of the range will be used for testing on the Ukrainian front.''

This option seems quite likely, given that after the visit of the Russian military leadership to Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un conducted a large-scale audit of defense plants.

In addition, the Russian media reported that North Korean workers could be involved in the Russian defense industry and the reconstruction of the occupied territories, such as the destroyed Mariupol. Thus, the Russian-Ukrainian war could be a chance for North Korea to shed its excess human ballast by sending them to work in Russia, as well as to increase its military capabilities.

Is this a problem for Ukraine? Because all the hardware produced as a result of this collaboration will be used against Ukrainian citizens. However, this is a chance to take advantage of the technological superiority of South Korea and Japan, which are definitely not happy with what Kim Jong Un is doing. And they are definitely against the strengthening of cooperation between the two tyrants in the nuclear field against their neighbors in the Pacific Ocean.

One can only laugh sarcastically at Putin. Because in the summer of 2021, he was full of hope of reaching an agreement with US President Joe Biden to divide the world into two. And now he is forced to pay China with territories and ports for chips. And it is looking for weapons from North Korea, because the much-hyped Russian military-industrial complex has failed to produce a number of items on its own.

Anyone who survives the current war will witness the corpse of Russia being eaten by China. And this will be a slight consolation for our lost lives, time and youth.

Specially for Espreso

About the author: Maryna Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva, journalist.

The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by the authors of blogs.