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North Korean soldiers at a Russian military training area in the midst of the Ukraine war

North Korean soldiers at a Russian military training area in the midst of the Ukraine war


New Delhi:

North Korea has sent 1,500 soldiers to Russia for military training and plans to send up to 12,000 soldiers to the Ukraine war, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has confirmed.

A video released by the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security shows a number of North Korean soldiers receiving uniforms at a training ground in Russia’s Far East. While the audio quality of the video limited clarity, the soldiers appeared to be communicating in Korean. Upon arrival, recruits filled out questionnaires to provide sizes for their military clothing, CNN reported. Another video showed troops arriving at the Sergeevka military training area near the Russian-Chinese border. Apparently a voice in the background could be heard saying, “We can’t film them… Here are the new reinforcements.” That’s just the beginning. There’s more.”

According to CNN, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that “thousands” of North Korean soldiers were on their way to Russia. According to Zelensky, intelligence suggests that the North is preparing to deploy up to 10,000 soldiers of various military specializations. “According to the information I have, they are preparing 10,000 soldiers, various soldiers, land forces and technical personnel,” he said during a recent NATO summit.

There is increasing evidence that North Korea is also supplying Russia with ammunition. Recent reports from the BBC include the recovery of a missile in the Poltava region of Ukraine.

The deepening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang was highlighted last week when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called Russian President Vladimir Putin his “closest comrade” on Putin’s birthday.

South Korean intelligence sources have also claimed that Russian forces are organizing a unit of North Korean troops. Ukrainian military intelligence, led by Kyrylo Budanov, noted that nearly 11,000 North Korean infantrymen are currently training in eastern Russia and are ready for deployment by November 1. They are expected to use Russian equipment and ammunition, with an initial group of 2,600 troops planned to be sent to the Kursk region.

The NIS has reported that North Korean troops are training at various bases in Russia, including Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. They have released aerial images confirming the presence of North Korean troops in these locations and identified shipping activity involving Russian ships transporting soldiers from North Korea.

Since August, North Korea has reportedly sent around 13,000 shipping containers of military goods to Russia, including millions of artillery shells, rockets and anti-tank missiles. Russia has received up to eight million 122mm and 152mm artillery shells, it said.