Get your ticket to GaijinPot Expo 2024
Ukraine's military intelligence service said on Thursday that the first North Korean units trained in Russia had been deployed in the Kursk region, a Russian border area where Ukrainian forces staged a major incursion in August.
The Kremlin has previously dismissed reports about the North's troop deployment as "fake news". But Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that it was Moscow's business how to implement a partnership treaty with Pyongyang.
Putin did not deny that North Korean troops were currently in Russia.
"The first units of the military from the DPRK, which were trained at the eastern Russian training grounds, have already arrived in the combat zone of the Russian-Ukrainian war. In particular, on October 23, 2024, their presence was recorded in the Kursk region," the Ukrainian intelligence agency said in a statement.
It said a total of around 12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers and three generals, were already in Russia, and training was taking place on five military bases.
Russian Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was appointed responsible for overseeing the training of North Korean military, the agency said.
A U.S. official said the United States had seen the Ukrainian reports of North Korean troops in Kursk and was working to corroborate them.
Ukraine had called earlier on its allies to respond firmly to North Korean involvement into war by imposing new sanctions and further isolating Pyongyang.
On Wednesday, the U.S. said it had seen evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service said the North had shipped 3,000 troops, including special forces, to Russia's Far East for training and acclimatising at military bases there, probably to be deployed for combat in the war.
Moscow and Pyongyang ties grew deeper after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and they signed a comprehensive strategic partnership deal in June.
Putin has said the treaty included a mutual assistance clause for each side to help the other repel external aggression.
North Korea has supplied ballistic missiles and ammunition rounds to Russia for its war in Ukraine, Kyiv and its Western allies say. Pyongyang has denied this.
© (Thomson Reuters 2024.
11 Comments
TaiwanIsNotChina
So when one of the NORKs ends up in Ukrainian custody, what do you think our resident apologists will have to say?
JJE
When it inevitably emerges as yet another hoax will certain quarters retract their comments? Of course not. They never do. They never will.
And even if true, consider the following:
Kursk is part of the Russian Federation.
Ukraine has been enlisting mercenaries and even passed a law two weeks ago allowing them to become officers in the AFU.
Ukraine's military intelligence service has a long, documented history of being economical with the truth (a nice way to say outright lying).
Underworld
JJE
Will you. When you are finally convinced that this is happening?
For example?
stormcrow
The Russians must be getting their butts kicked in Ukraine!
Some dude
Now here's an interesting thing. For most people with half a mind and/or a moral core (so that rules out many of the vatniks on here), as soon as they read "Russia says...", they (quite reasonably) assume that whatever follows is going to be completely untrue, because Russia has net negative trust capital.
When Ukraine announces something, people are at least willing to entertain the possibility that there's something to it. Whether there actually is or not is a different issue.
In other words, Russia has long ago lost the "propaganda battle", because decent people know that they lie as easily as they send cannon fodder to the front lines.
Primusinter
Absolutely! Bravo, dude!
You have very accurately acquired the popular anecdote that I told you here several times. The anecdote about a Russian tank on the Champs-Elysees. "However we lost the information war!"
theFu
When foreign controlled troops show up with their own equipment and own commanders, it is time for European countries to send in their troops as well. Not NATO, just from neighbors in Europe.
Lil' Kim has a problem. Winter is coming so he'd rather have military people dying outside NK than starve more NK at home. Then he can blame others for his ineptitude.
Putin doesn't care how many lives, Russian, Cuban, NK, he throws away, we've already seen that. Until the Russian people decide they've had enough or Putin dies, this war will continue. It is too important to the Russian economy to end.
Desert Tortoise
Nah. Let the F-35s take care of business. Target DPRK troop formation from the air with stealth aircraft.
Fighto!
These little suckers are going to get a real lesson in war - being blown all the way back to Pyongyang.
Mere cannon fodder for lil' Putin and FatBoy Kim.
Fighto!
We are still waiting for the apology from several pro-Russians for their nonsensical claims 3 years back that Fascist Russia "would never invade Ukraine" - in spite of all reputable Intel stating the truth of what was going to happen.
Then there was their "it'll all be won by Russia within 72 hours" assurance...
OssanAmerica
the U.S. has confirmed the presence of NK troops and declared them valid targets. Only Vatniks and Wumaos are still singing "fake news" and "propaganda".
Good news for Ukraine, SK is not prepared to contribute weapons.