Over 12,000 North Korean Troops Join Russia's War On Ukraine (image-X/@sidhant)
Ukraine’s military intelligence service said the first units of North Korean troops trained in Russia have been deployed in the Kursk region, a Russian border area where Ukrainian forces staged a major incursion in August. The US, Ukraine, and South Korea accused Pyongyang of dispatching the troops, estimated to be around 12,000.
The Kremlin previously dismissed reports about North Korea’s troop deployment as “fake news.” At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not deny that North Korean troops were currently in Russia and said that it was Moscow’s business how to implement a partnership treaty with Pyongyang.
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The Ukrainian intelligence agency said a total of around 12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers and three generals, were already in Russia, and training was taking place on five military bases. President Volodymyr Zelensky said North Korea had previously deployed officers in Russian-occupied territory within Ukraine.
“I believe they sent officers first to assess the situation before deploying troops,” Zelenskiy told reporters.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea said it had tracked around 3,000 troops, including special forces, in Russian naval vessels to the country’s Far East for training and attuning at military bases there, presumed to be deployed for combat in the war.
Seoul also said it had used AI facial recognition technology to identify a delegation of dozens of North Korean officers visiting frontline areas in Kyiv to give guidance on North Korea-made KN-23 ballistic missiles fired at targets there. South Korea also added that the troops have been supplied with Russian military uniforms, weapons, and false identification documents ahead of being deployed for combat.
Putin has said a treaty he signed with Kim Jong Un during a visit to Pyongyang in June included a mutual assistance clause for each side to help the other repel external aggression.
Analysts say North Korea could benefit from providing weapons and troops by gaining experience and insight from operating on a battlefield, since Pyongyang is heavily sanctioned for its nuclear weapons program.
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The program also appears to be gaining major imports of oil and other products from Russia, said a media report citing foreign intelligence agencies and commercial satellite imagery examined by analysts.
Seoul has also said it is considering phased countermeasures, including possible changes to its stance against directly providing weapons to Ukraine. South Korea, the US, Ukraine, and independent researchers said that Russia has fired dozens of North Korea-made ballistic missiles and has received large numbers of artillery shells and anti-tank rockets.
(With inputs from agencies)
