OPINION

With Russia having wrapped up the BRICS Summit, its largest global gathering since the onset of the war in Ukraine, the world is again turning its attention to Vladimir Putin’s destructive alliances.

The latest installment to Putin’s forces in Ukraine? 12,000 North Korean soldiers.

While the participation of the inimical East Asian state in the conflict is troubling in itself, the ratification of a pact between Moscow and Pyongyang on mutual military assistance as part of a "strategic partnership" is particularly worrisome.

The arrangement implies not simply shared forces but shared knowledge, including difficult to acquire know-how in the crucially important nuclear sector.

By involving North Korea in the war in Ukraine, Russia aims to cultivate its ally’s readiness for military confrontation.

Building the hermit kingdom’s capacity to produce advanced tactical nuclear weapons for itself strengthens its destructive power more than the transfer of weapons ever could.

The Kremlin has proven adept at obtaining knowledge of nuclear developments by leveraging insights from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), an international nuclear physics laboratory located in the northern Moscow town of Dubna.

Though JINR has positioned itself as a neutral research organization, 80.8% of its budget comes from Russia, as does 93% of its staff.

To suggest that the veneer of scientific independence is thin would be an understatement.

JINR was vital to the creation of Dubna’s Special Economic Zone (SEZ)in 2005, ostensibly to attract foreign direct investment.

Today the catchment area hosts numerous enterprises involved in Russian military projects – many of which are tagged with sanctions imposed by Western governments.

In addition, JINR played a central role in the development of Dubna State University (DSU) in 1995. The university educates personnel that advance the development of weapons in the SEZ Dubna.

The institute has created its own ecosystem in which JINR scientists teach at DSU, while DSU faculty and students participate in JINR research projects.

Moreover, JINR has reportedly joined with Russia’s Federal Security Services (FSB),primarily DVIN Company, to focus on the production of explosive and narcotic substance detectors.

JINR nevertheless still manages to work jointly with numerous Western scientific organizations, including some of the most prominent universities in the United States.

There are more than 70 countries that host institutes listed as JINR collaborators.

Additionally, despite Russia’s ejection from CERN — the European Organization for Nuclear Research — hundreds of Russian scientists are still able to access the organization through JINR.

This allows the Kremlin to benefit from access to the latest technological developments and to train personnel in cutting-edge techniques at CERN, further fueling Russia’s war machine.

Obtaining Western research and knowledge also allows the Kremlin to transfer that know-how to its strategic allies, including North Korea and Iran.

For many years, JINR management allowed North Korean scientists to work in their organization, circumventing the sanctions imposed by the United Nations.

While North Korean participation was formally suspended in 2015, JINR’s official documents still list North Korea as a contributor to JINR’s budget, as well as a member of the Committee of Plenipotentiaries.

Moreover, Dubna State University opened a new program to prepare engineers from Iran, thereby exposing the cooperation between the proliferation partners.

Given the latest "strategic partnership" between Russia and North Korea, it's reasonable to anticipate the further involvement of JINR and companies in Dubna SEZ in joint projects pursued by the allies.

One such illustration is a visit conducted in April 2024 that involved North Korean officials visiting the Dubna SEZ to explore cooperation opportunities.

JINR has maintained a collaboration agreement since 2021 with JSC NIIEFA, an entity known to supply equipment to North Korea.

At a moment when Western authorities are actively seeking peace and security in Ukraine, it must be acknowledged that neither are priorities for Moscow.

The Russian nuclear program is not peaceful, nor is it intended to contribute to the global scientific community.

Not only is the Kremlin doubling down on its aggression against its neighbors, but it is also coordinating the activities of a belligerent axis of rogue regimes that threaten the world.

If the United States and its European allies continue to allow Russia to disguise its malevolent activities as peaceful scientific inquiry, it will need to prepare for nuclear propagation and the attendant security threats that arise.

The new American administration must prioritize measures to stop JINR’s access to Western nuclear know-how by imposing disabling sanctions on the organization before it is too late.

Ivan Sascha Sheehan is a professor of Public and International affairs and the associate dean of the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore. Opinions expressed are his own. Follow him on X @ProfSheehan