Russia quietly relies on North Korean troops amid shortages
Russia is not highlighting the presence of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. According to analysts from ISW, this move by the Kremlin aims to hide the personnel shortages within its own army.
7:43 AM EST, December 18, 2024
The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted the Pentagon's confirmation of the death of North Korean soldiers in battles against Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia.
Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, emphasized that the Russian military is attempting to conceal the presence of North Korean soldiers by prohibiting them from showing their faces during training in Russia and by "disguising" them.
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ISW observed that Russian officials and propagandists do not acknowledge the presence of North Korean forces in Russia or their involvement in battles in the Kursk region.
"The Kremlin continues to withhold information about the deployment of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region because it suggests that Russia relies on foreign troops to reclaim its own territory and contradicts Vladimir Putin's claims about the increase in volunteers joining the Russian army," analysts at ISW stated.
Units of the North Korean army that Russia engaged in the war against Ukraine were put on alert on December 13. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that the command of North Korean units received orders to collaborate with Russian troops conducting combat operations in the Kursk region. North Korean soldiers also received additional food supplies, some of which are being transported to the front lines by civilian trucks resembling water delivery vehicles.
Ukraine confirms the presence of North Korean soldiers
On December 14, Volodymyr Zelensky officially confirmed for the first time the involvement of North Korean soldiers in offensive operations on Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region, noting "significant losses" on their side.
On the same day, Ukrainian military intelligence GUR reported the number of initial losses of North Korean soldiers – 200 personnel. According to intelligence, after the losses in the assaults on the Kursk region, North Korean army units are being supplemented with new personnel to continue active combat operations.
Source: ISW, espreso.tv, WP Wiadomości
