Ukraine's military intelligence comments on role of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine

The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has outlined three potential roles for North Korean soldiers in the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, including direct combat operations in Ukraine or Russia's Kursk region.

Ukraine's military intelligence representative Andrii Cherniak said this in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ukrinform reports.

"Currently, there are 9,000 North Korean servicemen in the operational reserve, and 2,000 have been transferred to combat units. There are three options for the development of events. Either they will participate in active combat operations in Ukraine or they will participate in active combat operations in Russia's Kursk region," he said.

The third possibility, according to Cherniak, is that these troops will remain in the operational reserve on the second line of defense, which still poses a significant threat. "This would allow Russia to redeploy its own forces to the front lines, enhancing its ability to wage active hostilities against Ukraine," he explained.

Cherniak further noted that the 2,000 North Korean soldiers have been integrated into a marine brigade and an airborne division.

"If they have already been deployed to these units engaged in combat, then we can say with confidence that they have also already joined the hostilities. Maybe they are not on the front line. Maybe they are not in the front lines, but they still contribute to aggression against Ukraine and the killing of Ukrainian servicemen," he said.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said earlier that North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia had been assigned to the Russian military at the platoon level, with a high possibility of the troops being used as "cannon fodder" in dangerous areas.