According to Ukrainian and American officials speaking to The New York Times, North Korea has sent several thousand troops to Russia’s Kursk Oblast. The soldiers are believed to be elite Korean People’s Army troops. They are positioned for a Russian counteroffensive that will take place against Ukrainian forces who have been in the area since August.
Arrival of these troops marks an important escalation of foreign military support for Moscow’s war effort. This unprecedented deployment, which involves deploying thousands of North Korean troops directly into a possible combat role in an European war, signals both Russia’s increasing manpower needs and North Korea’s deepening alliance with Moscow.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed the troops were transported to western Russia via Il-76 transport aircraft before being moved to the battle area. A senior Ukrainian official estimates 5,000 North Korean troops will be in place by Monday. South Korea and Ukraine have warned that up to 12,000 Russian-North Korean troops have been involved in joint training.
These forces have not yet engaged in combat but their presence could allow Russia’s offensive operations in eastern Ukraine to continue as winter approaches. The deployment comes at a time when Russia is intensifying its efforts to reclaim several towns in Kursk Oblast where Ukrainian forces captured around 1,000 square kilometers early August.
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Ukrainian commander-in-chief, reported that Russia had relocated around 50,000 troops in order to counter the Kursk offensive. According to The New York Times however, this Ukrainian strategy has had limited success in attracting Russian forces away from the Donbas offensive where they continue to make slow but steady progress. The North Korean deployment is currently confined to the Kursk Oblast. However, their future role is still uncertain.
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Source: Ukrainian military source: Kyodo – 2,000 North Korean troops move to Russia’s Kursk Oblast, near Ukraine
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