North Korean troops bolster Russian forces in Ukraine conflict
Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing South Korean intelligence documents, that another group of North Korean soldiers is set to be deployed to Russia. According to insights from Ukrainian services, the first North Korean soldiers are already engaged in combat in Ukraine, fighting alongside the Russian army.
South Korean intelligence suspects that North Koreans would reach the front after training lasting no more than a month. Preparations for these new recruits into the Russian army are expected to occur in military centres in Vladivostok, Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk, and Blagoveshchensk, Bloomberg reported.
Moscow and Pyongyang admit cooperation
Moreover, on Friday, North Korean authorities declared that any decision to send troops from Pyongyang to Russia to support its military actions in Ukraine would be consistent with international law.
Until now, both Russia and North Korea have denied reports of North Korean soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
12,000 Pyongyang soldiers in Russia
Military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow has greatly expanded since the start of Russia's full-scale war with Ukraine. Ukrainian intelligence suggests that only 30% of the ammunition used by Russia is domestically produced. The largest portion, 60%, is manufactured in North Korea, with the remaining 10% sourced from Iran.
The United States and South Korea revealed that in October, at least 3,000 soldiers were transported from North Korea to Russia, and by the end of the year, Pyongyang is expected to transfer 10,000 more troops there.
On Thursday, Japanese and Ukrainian media reported that roughly 2,000 North Korean soldiers, who completed training at sites in the Russian Far East, are being transported by train to the European part of the country, near the border with Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday on the Telegram communication platform that North Korean soldiers will be integrated into fighting in the Kursk region in western Russia on Sunday or Monday, based on intelligence data.
