Are North Koreans fighting in Ukraine? We know that

Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—

There is growing evidence that North Korea has been preparing for a more direct role in Russia’s war in Ukraine, a move that could have repercussions far beyond the front lines of the war raging in Europe.

Both Ukraine and South Korea have claimed that North Korean troops were sent to Russia for training with the aim of being stationed there Ukraine.

Russia and North Korea have denied the reports, while South Korea has suggested that any deployment could lead to a reassessment of the level of military support it provides to Ukraine.

In recent months, Moscow and Pyongyang have deepened their anti-American military partnership, and the growing alliance has worried officials in Kiev and Washington.

Here’s what we know.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned against North Korean troops joining Russia’s war, telling a NATO summit last week that “10,000” soldiers and technical personnel were being prepared.

On Tuesday, the president said in his evening speech Ukraine had information about Russia “Training two military units from North Korea,” including perhaps “two brigades of 6,000 men each.” Zelensky also told reporters that Ukraine had seen North Korean “officers and technical personnel in the temporarily occupied territories” and believed Russia was “preparing a group” to invade Ukraine.

A Ukrainian intelligence source previously told CNN that a small number of North Koreans have been working with the Russian military, mainly to help with technology and share information about the use of North Korean munitions.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on Friday that North Korea had sent 1,500 soldiers, including special forces, to Russia for training.

Those reports appeared to be confirmed when North Korean soldiers were filmed receiving uniforms and equipment at a training range in Russia’s Far East. Another video circulating on social media and geolocated by CNN showed troops arriving at the Sergeevka military training area near Russia’s border with China.

Russia and North Korea, both pariahs in the West, have forged increasingly friendly relations since Moscow’s invasion.

In June, the two nations signed a groundbreaking defense pact, pledging to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event of an attack by the other country.

Several governments have accused Pyongyang of supplying Moscow with weapons because of its bitter war in Ukraine. Both countries denied this allegation, despite considerable evidence of such transfers.

The arms shipments, which include thousands of tons of ammunition, have helped Russia replenish its dwindling supplies in a war in which Ukraine’s armed forces have long been outgunned and manned. Meanwhile, financially strapped North Korea is believed to have received food and other essentials in exchange.

The hermit The country is also trying to advance its space, missile and illegal nuclear programs.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed allegations that North Korean personnel were sent to Russia to help as “another hoax.”

Asked directly by reporters on Monday whether Moscow was sending North Korean troops to fight in Ukraine, Peskov said North Korea was a “close neighbor” and the two states were “developing relations in all areas.”

“This cooperation is not directed against third countries,” he said.

North Korea described the claims as “baseless, stereotypical rumors” during a session of the UN General Assembly. Monday.

But Seoul is not taking this lightly.

On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador and called for an “immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops.”

South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun warned that the alleged operation violated UN Security Council resolutions. The National Security Office held an emergency meeting to discuss a possible response by South Korea.

Following the meeting, Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director for national security, said the government would take “gradual countermeasures” according to the “progress of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.”

It is unclear what the measures would be, but a South Korean government official said they were preparing “diplomatic, economic and military measures.”

Since North Korea is in the “preliminary phase of sending troops to Russia,” South Korea is evaluating whether it will move to “actual combat participation,” the official added.

“We are developing scenarios to understand the potential impact that actions by North Korea and Russia could have on us,” the administration official said.

Seoul, one of the world’s largest arms suppliers, has provided humanitarian aid and financial support to Ukraine while joining Western sanctions against Moscow. However, due to arms export controls to warring countries, the country has not directly supplied Kyiv with lethal weapons.

There is a lot at stake.

North and South Korea are separated by one of the most militarized borders in the world and technically remain in a state of war. Relations between the two have deteriorated in recent years and heated rhetoric on both sides of the demilitarized zone has increased.

The US has not publicly confirmed the North Korean troop deployment and said it would “continue to review the reports.” A State Department spokesman said Tuesday that if true, “this would certainly be a dangerous and extremely concerning development” and that the U.S. would continue to consult with its allies “on the implications of such a dramatic step.”

But British Defense Secretary John Healey told Parliament on Tuesday: “It is now very likely that the transfer of hundreds of combat troops from North Korea to Russia has begun.”

Any intervention by North Korea could be a turning point. The isolated and heavily sanctioned regime is playing a role in a major international conflict on the other side of the world something it hasn’t done for decades.

The state has one of the largest militaries in the world with 1.2 million soldiers, but many of its troops lack combat experience.

Analysts say the North Korean regime The use of troops would have a lot to offer, among other things give his powers Battlefield experience and technical training. The agreement could also help North Korea get real information about how its weapons work.

“The Special Operations troops will return with live battlefield experience and live infiltration experience against an alerted combat enemy. That makes them more dangerous,” said Carl Schuster, former operations chief at the U.S. Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center.

“I think Kim is providing the troops to get the resources he needs to maintain the regime and to learn lessons that he could apply if he believes the conflict on the peninsula is imminent.” , he added.

Chun In-bum, a former lieutenant general in the South Korean army, told CNN that the Russians would get “an increase in manpower that they currently lack” and the North Koreans would get “money, technology” and experience.

According to analysts, the forces deployed are “elite” special forces rather than conventional troops.

“If they are successful there, they will not only gain first-hand combat experience, but also international recognition. So this could be a really serious problem for the whole world,” Chun said.

“What if North Koreans made this a habit? What if they became a base for supplying well-trained soldiers? The potential of this deployment is likely to be very concerning.”