Thousands of North Korean military training in Russia – ISW
This is according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrinform saw.
The analysts, citing information from The Washington Post, note that a Ukrainian military intelligence official stated that individual North Korean officers are observing Russian forces and studying the battlefield in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. This information has not yet been confirmed in Ukraine.
A Ukrainian official stated that "several thousand" North Korean infantry personnel are training in Russia. He believes that the Russian military command could deploy them to the front lines in Ukraine by the end of 2024 or to Russian border areas to free up Russian "reserves" for fighting within Ukraine.
ISW experts note that the extent of the North Korean military grouping that Russia could deploy to the front lines, or that could free up Russian forces along the border, is unclear. However, these scenarios could also aid Russian efforts to commit additional manpower to priority offensive operations in Ukraine and prolong the culmination of Russia's summer 2024 offensive operation.
The institute believes that the deployment of North Korean troops by Russia could also create opportunities for their use in Ukraine, depending on the quality, force structure, arrayment, and interoperability of these forces.
As reported by Ukrinform, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-khen believes that North Korea may have sent its troops to Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine to support the Russian war against Ukraine.
