Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky put the number of North Korean casualties in the Russian region of Kursk at almost 4,000, where some 11,000 North Korean soldiers have joined Russian troops trying to expel the rebels from that territory. Ukrainian units occupying a part of the region.
“We know that until today they have lost 4,000 (soldiers),” Zelensky said in his speech before the defense ministers of the more than fifty countries that offer military aid to kyiv, who were holding their last meeting at the Ramstein military base (Germany). before the arrival of US President-elect Donald Trump to the White House on January 20.
Zelensky stated that the entry of North Korean military personnel into the war in Ukraine is proof that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to “redouble” his military campaign against Ukraine and is not interested in reaching a peace agreement.
According to figures from the intelligence services of the United States, South Korea and Ukraine, North Korea has sent about 11,000 soldiers to Russia. These soldiers entered combat at the beginning of November to help the Russian Army expel Ukrainian soldiers occupying part of the Russian Kursk region.
In this context, the senior analyst at the Asan Institute of Political Studies in South Korea, Jang Uk, has warned that Pyongyang could decide to increase its military aid to Russia to 100,000 people, according to the media. .
“When North Korea initially sent about 10,000 soldiers, it knew that much more would be needed to replenish the depleted units. I would not be surprised if the number became ten times greater,” the researcher highlighted.
He also added that North Korea’s participation in the events of the war in Ukraine is also beneficial for this country, since it will provide its army with modern knowledge and will be able to bring innovations to other units of the armed forces. The other advantage that Kim Jong-un’s regime may gain is that Moscow will give it advanced missile technology, which may also represent a big leap in capabilities.
