Some 10,000 North Korean troops, including special forces soldiers from a unit known as the Storm Corps, will likely be reaching the frontlines in Ukraine this week after being sent for training and acclimatization in Russia, the product of cozy relations between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un. There are a number of significant concerns around this deployment, among them that it is about as concrete a marker as you can have of the nasty connections that Putin has worked to build and maintain. The Russian despot has long believed that the straightest path to counter U.S. and western global strength is through his own alliances of shared ideology and convenience and the imperialist expansion of his territory — the same mix of desires and efforts that has led to both world wars, among other things. This might not be a numerically immense deployment, but it is a significant one at a time when Ukraine, which has variously gained and lost momentum throughout the war, currently seems to be on the back foot in some border regions. The North Korean soldiers are expected to bolster beleaguered and often poorly trained Russian forces in the disputed region of Kursk, where they have the potential to affect the tide of the conflict. This impact also goes beyond just the mechanics on the ground. It’s precedent; where will North Korea deploy its troops next? Will we see side by side with the Iranians in the Mideast? Or will there be Iranian troops in Russia next? These renegade countries might retort, correctly, that an organization like NATO is itself an alliance of troops, with a mandate towards collective security and defense. Yet NATO didn’t invade Ukraine, Russia did. For all of Putin’s belligerent talk of an encroaching power at his gates, it’s he who launched his ill-fated invasion now nearly three years ago. It’s this decision that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, including of his own people, destroyed swaths of Ukraine, wrecked his own military’s readiness — which, obviously, is entirely counterproductive to his supposed aim of national security — and gotten his own country invaded in self-defense by Ukrainian forces. In doing this, Putin has proved that such an alliance is not to be trusted and cannot be permitted, as it has at its core the aim of expansion, invasion and international belligerence. In any case, there are already concerns around Russia’s adherence to the laws of war in how it’s fought this invasion so far and how this deployment itself is being conducted. There are reports that the North Korean troops are donning Russian military uniforms during this operation, which is a violation in part because it muddies accountability. Russia already stands credibly accused of engaging in widespread war crimes, including the torture and execution of Ukrainian prisoners and deportation of Ukrainian children. If North Koreans posing as Russian troops engage in further such crimes, who will be held responsible? Who do humanitarian personnel and journalists communicate with to coordinate safe passage? Who gives the ultimate orders? This is a desperate and dangerous game that Putin is playing, and the world as a whole is more dangerous for it.