Kremlin silent on N. Korean troops in Kursk region not to contradict Putin's statements - ISW

The Kremlin is avoiding acknowledging the deployment of North Korean troops in Kursk region, so as not to deny the statements voiced by Russian leader Vladimir Putin that the raid of Ukrainian forces into the region has led to high recruitment rates in Russia.

That’s according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank, Ukrinform wrote.

"The Kremlin will likely continue to avoid reporting on the deployment of North Korean forces in Kursk Oblast as doing so would tacitly acknowledge that Russia needs foreign troops to recapture its own territory and invalidate Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims that the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast resulted in high Russian recruitment rates," analysts believe.

ISW experts added that the think tank "has not observed Russian officials and state media acknowledging the presence of North Korean forces in Russia or their participation in combat operations in Kursk Oblast."

Earlier, the Ukrainian side stated that the Russian military tried to disguise North Korean soldiers as Russian soldiers from Buryatia.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Kremlin is employing DPRK troops in operations in Kursk region without armored support, so many of these soldiers have already been killed in action. At the same time, DPRK troops are setting up additional observation posts due to fear of Ukrainian attack drones.