North Korea trains 3,500 more soldiers in Russia and plans a possible new deployment in Ukraine
Some 3,500 North Korean soldiers have been deployed for training in different regions of the Russian East, and Pionyang could send a third frontline contingent to help Moscow in the conflict against kyiv, as reported on Wednesday the legislator of the South Korean ruling party Yu Yuong-Weon.
The legislator, who recently visited Ukraine, cited a report by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Ukraine. “There are about 3,500 North Korean soldiers being subjected to adaptation field training in five locations from the Far East of Russia, and there is the possibility of a third deployment,” Yu said in the press release.
In recent months, Pionyang has already transferred troops in two phases, with a first shipment of about 11,000 soldiers in October last year and a second group of 1,500 troops transferred between January and February. According to Yu, the second group has already completed its adaptation training and is fighting on the front line of the Kursk front.
As of February 26, Ukraine intelligence estimates that around 400 North Korean soldiers have died in combat and that some 3,600 have been injured.
The Ukrainian intelligence report is also considered that the main objective of sending these troops is that they acquire experience in real combat.
During Yu’s interview with North Korean prisoners taken by Ukraine, one of them, identified as RI, confirmed his intention to defect. He also reported the great casualties suffered by North Korean troops, noting that his unit was the last standing after the annihilation of the previous ones.
Another North Korean prisoner, Baek, said that many soldiers opt for suicide instead of surrendering, considering capture as a betrayal of their country.
The sending of troops and military material is part of the strategic association agreement signed between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin in June 2024, which has allowed the supply of North Korean weapons to Russia and the progressive incorporation of Pionyang troops into the conflict in Ukraine. As part of the agreement, North Korea has sent tens of thousands of containers with artillery, missiles and other conventional weapons used in the war in Ukraine to Russia, in addition to having begun the deployment of troops since last October. (EFE)
