The number of North Korean forces so far is small, at least 3,000 according to the US, compared with the hundreds of thousands the West estimates have been killed in Ukraine on both sides. But it could allow Russia to reorganize and move forward, and if it works, North Korea can send more. It has an army of millions of men.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that reports of North Korea sending soldiers to Russia were “fake and hype,” local media reported. However, the Kremlin did not directly deny the reports.

“I'm very concerned,” James Stavridis, a retired U.S. Navy admiral and former commander in chief of NATO forces, told MSNBC yesterday. “This is a real boost for the Russians. And I can assure you that they will be well-trained and capable North Koreans.”

And it could also have a psychological impact on the already beleaguered Ukrainian forces, because Russia's implicit message is: “We can keep fighting for a long time.”

All of this can change the way of thinking in other countries too.

The war is actually spreading to Asia. Which other leaders might decide to send their troops into play? And when a North Korean soldier is killed with NATO weapons, how does the often unpredictable Kim react?

This week, South Korea summoned Russia's ambassador and called for the “immediate withdrawal” of North Korean troops from Russia. In a meeting with Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev, South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun warned that Seoul would “respond with all available measures.”

The countries that stand between Russia and the West could feel further political influence.

Joining Putin, Xi and Pezeshkian on stage this week were heads of state from countries such as Brazil, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and India. Each of them is a trade and/or security partner of the USA. They are also members of the group known as BRICS – representing 41.1% of the world's population and 37.3% of gross domestic product – which met in the city for its annual summit.

As conflicts escalate in Ukraine and the Middle East, maintaining this neutral line will become more difficult.

“We are a partner of the United States and also a partner of other countries,” Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told NBC News in an interview at the meeting in the eastern Russian city of Kazan.

When asked whether he had mentioned to Putin the danger of another country sending troops to fight Ukraine, he replied: “I have never heard of that. He didn't tell me anything about it. I don't know it.”

Today many ordinary Russians say they want peace.