Though Russia, China and North Korea are natural allies the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought them closer as the West-backed Ukrainians have not only grounded the one much vaunted Russian army is in tatters and the economy is in dire straits. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ’s disastrous Ukrainian military adventure has landed himself in a big mess both within and beyond Russia. Putin finds his grand plan of a military walk over against the weak Ukrainians to reclaim territory of the erstwhile Soviet Union has backfired. As Ukraine heroically defends itself from a total invasion from Putin, the pushback on Russian invasion could lead to the fall of Vladimir Putin, and the worst fear is that he may be prepared to substantially escalate the conflict to prevent such an outcome. That is why Putin has been threatening the west with launching nuclear war if its existence is threatened.Much of the world has isolated Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and Putin stands accused of being a war criminal as Russia’s deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are war crimes with humanitarian costs which have been condemned globally. The deliberate targeting of civilians including hospitals and schools of children, have only exacerbated Russia’s isolation. Running out of munitions and other military supplies, Russia has sought help from countries with comparable records of human rights violations: North Korea and China. Russia has gone to the extent of seeking help from North Korea for shipping artillery shells and other military supplies. While China is providing dual-use technology and components . This expected development has led Russia proposing combined exercises with North Korea and China. The triad have their own ambition of geographical expansion- Putin seeks to conquer Ukraine and make it “part of a restored Russian Empire .” China has taken aggressive economic measures to extend its influence worldwide. China’s President Xi Jinping has already began drum beating to invade Taiwan and make it part of greater China. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is all hell bent on Korean unification under North Korean control. In short, these three countries have imperialistic goals and these pose real threat of a likely nuclear fall out. While the world, including India, have called for a truce and resolve issues through dialogue, substantial North Korean and Chinese assistance to Russia could prolong the war in Ukraine and substantially increase the damage inflicted and the war costs. China and North Korea might do more than send equipment and supplies to Ukraine. They might also send some military personnel and even technical experts. Doing so will convert Ukraine into a Russia-China-North Korea laboratory for examining and improving various weapons and tactics in actual warfare. The triad nations-China, N.Korea and Russia- possess nuclear weapons and are probably sabre rattling to gain some advantages in global politics and for territorial gains. However, there are fissures in their relationships. For example, China recently released a map that includes some Russian territory as part of China. Also, Russia may find that North Korea wants more in exchange for its artillery shells than Russia is willing to provide. China’s designs for regional and global domination would include domination of Russia. If China provides Russia with equipment and supplies, it can be expected to demand recognition and payment for that contribution. The West have to counter the triad with sanctions which could pull the rug from underneath the Triad.
