Russia's Allies Outpace Ukraine's in Military Support
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Ukrainian intelligence said on August 5 that North Korea plans to deploy 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers near Voronezh, marking the first time North Korean missile forces would directly strike Ukrainian cities.
- Zelensky claimed 30,000 to 50,000 additional North Korean troops could be deployed and attributed a Zaporizhzhia missile strike that killed 9 people the previous day to North Korean forces.
- Ukraine's allies—including South Korea, Japan, and European nations—have downplayed or stayed silent on North Korea's deployment, with only one unnamed South Korean official calling it illegal without pledging concrete aid.
- Vice President JD Vance asked Zelensky on July 31 to halt Ukrainian strikes on non-Russian tankers at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal at Novorossiysk, and Ukraine has not struck tankers near the terminal since.
- The US has used small weapons deliveries through PURL—including Patriot interceptors—as leverage to shape how Ukraine fights, while the source argues this has slowed European development of independent advanced air defense.
- Russia's allies (Iran, North Korea, China) provide military aid without restrictions, while Ukraine's allies have consistently limited and controlled their support, creating what the source frames as a fundamentally asymmetric war.
Why it matters: The asymmetry means Russia fights the war it wants while Ukraine fights with constrained tools—the US directly used its leverage to force Ukraine to halt an effective campaign against Russia's Novorossiysk oil exports, protecting Russian oil revenues. North Korea's combat deployment against Ukrainian civilians is also testing whether Ukraine's partners will respond to a direct military intervention by another state.
Ask SkimNews
