North Korean soldiers have already engaged in battles against Ukrainian Armed Forces in Russia's Kursk Oblast
Ukraine’s General Staff has reported that over 11,000 North Korean military personnel are stationed in Russia's Kursk Oblast and they have participated in combat against Ukraine's defence forces.
Source: Radio Svoboda, citing Anatolii Barhylevych, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, speaking during the national joint 24/7 newscast
Details: Barhylevych also detailed the nature of the North Korean military personnel whom Russia has already deployed to Kursk Oblast.
Quote from Barhylevych: "These are mostly general military units.
They are disguised as the indigenous population of the Far East. They also have the appropriate documents and have been trained to conduct operations in the European sector."
Previously: South Korea's National Intelligence stated that North Korean soldiers who had previously been sent to Russia were now in Kursk Oblast and were "already engaging in combat operations" against Ukraine.
Bloomberg reported that North Korea may send up to 100,000 troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine.
Background:
- On 7 November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast, Russia, had already suffered losses.
- A record number of North Korean citizens arrived in Russia in the third quarter of 2024, citing "training" as their reason for travel amid reports of North Korean troops being deployed to participate in the war against Ukraine.
- The US Department of State said that Russia's success on the battlefield using the North Korean military would depend on the level of their integration into the Russian army.
- Last week, two US officials confirmed that North Korean troops had been involved in combat operations in Russia's Kursk Oblast for the first time.
- The New York Times reported that 50,000 Russian and North Korean soldiers were preparing to launch a large-scale counteroffensive in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
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