North Korean troops in Russia led by 3 generals, 2,000 soldiers already in combat units – intelligence

Intelligence reports indicate that 2,000 North Korean military personnel have been deployed to combat units of the Russian army, assigned to marine brigades and airborne divisions.

Source: Andrii Cherniak, spokesperson for Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), in an interview with Donbas Realii (a Radio Liberty project)

Quote: "There are 9,000 North Korean servicemen in the operational reserve [of the Russian army] as of now and 2,000 have been transferred to combat units."

Details: Cherniak emphasised that this confirms North Korean soldiers are already participating in combat.

"They may not be on the line of contact or in advance positions, but they are still supporting aggression against Ukraine, aiding in the killing of Ukrainian servicemen," he said.

DIU reports that the contingent of North Korean troops in Russia is commanded by three generals. "They are being hidden as much as possible and are heavily guarded. They are kept in closed camps where they are undergoing training, but every effort is made to conceal them from everyone," Cherniak added.

Background:

• On 7 November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast, Russia, had already suffered losses.
• 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.
• The US has information that North Korea is preparing additional weapons shipments to Russia, including ballistic missiles, long-range self-propelled artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems.
• Zelenskyy is convinced that Russia will deploy a significant number of North Korean soldiers to the front line against Ukraine, where they will almost certainly be used as cannon fodder.

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