Ukrainian partisans uncover North Korean involvement near Mariupol
Ukrainian partisans have discovered the precise location on Ukrainian territory where North Korean instructors collaborating with Russian Federation forces are hiding. The training ground is reportedly near the village of Sartana, near Mariupol in the Donetsk region.
Although experts’ analyses suggest Russia has enough equipment to wage war for several more months, any assistance from Moscow's allies is invaluable to Putin. Support for the aggressor is being provided, among others, by North Korea, which is set to bolster the Russian Federation’s army with several thousand soldiers by the end of 2024.
It’s worth mentioning that Pyongyang supports Moscow not only with military personnel but also with valuable equipment for conducting strikes. For months, North Korea has been sending Russia shipments of artillery ammunition of calibres 122 mm (4.8 inches) and 152 mm (6 inches), as well as KN-23 ballistic missiles (Hwasong-11Ga) with warheads weighing 500 kg (1,100 lbs).
Support for Russia from North Korea
The Ukrainian agency Unian, citing reports from partisans operating behind enemy lines, has now reported that support from North Korea is already on the front line—and stationed in Ukraine, near Mariupol.
"North Korean instructors are overseeing the preparation of the testing ground and likely feel confident and safe at this moment because many residents of the communities around the village of Sartana actively collaborated with the occupier," reads a communiqué from the partisan group on Telegram. Ukrainians add that "for the partisan resistance movement, North Korean instructors or officers are the same target as Russian occupiers and collaborators."
They came from North Korea to support Russia in Ukraine
The partisans do not explain exactly what actions the Koreans are undertaking in collaboration with the Russians near Mariupol. However, it’s worth noting that the missiles of 122 mm and 152 mm (4.8 and 6 inches), so far delivered to Moscow by Pyongyang, fit, among others, into the BM-21 Grad launcher. Both types of this ammunition allow strikes at a maximum distance of several kilometres.
The 122 mm missiles have a range of about 15 kilometres (9 miles), while the larger 152 mm weapons reach slightly farther, at 18 kilometres (11 miles). The difference between these missiles is that the larger calibre contains up to 8 kg (18 lbs) of TNT, while the smaller ammunition has a maximum of 3.5 kg (8 lbs) of explosive material.
