North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to support Russia in war against Ukraine – Reuters

South Korean intelligence has reported that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia to support the occupation forces in the war against Ukraine and is also trying to isolate the families of selected soldiers in a certain place to prevent information from spreading.

Source: Reuters

Quote: "North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia to support the Kremlin's forces in its war in Ukraine and thousands more were expected to follow, South Korean lawmakers said on Wednesday."

Details: Seoul reported that Pyongyang has promised to provide a total of about 10,000 troops, whose deployment is expected to be completed by December.

The latest figures came after Seoul's National Intelligence Service said that about 1,500 special forces soldiers had arrived in Russia by ship: "Signs of troops being trained inside North Korea were detected in September and October."

Moscow and Pyongyang deny any arms transfers but have pledged to strengthen military ties by signing a mutual defence treaty at a summit in June. The Kremlin has dismissed as fake news South Korea's claim that Russia was sending North Korean troops to war.

Pyongyang did not publicly respond to Seoul and Kyiv's statements, but the authorities there made efforts to prevent news of the deployment from spreading. One of the South Korean officials said that "there are also signs of North Korean authorities relocating and isolating those families (of the troops) in a certain place in order to effectively control them and thoroughly crack down on the rumours". 

He also said that Russia has recruited a large number of interpreters for North Korean soldiers, while training them to use military equipment such as drones: "Russian instructors are assessing that the North Korean military has excellent physical attributes and morale but lacks understanding of modern warfare such as drone attacks."

Seoul believes that Pyongyang can count on Russia's quick intervention and economic assistance in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula.

On Tuesday, South Korea's presidential administration called for the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops from Russian territory, warning that it could consider supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine if military ties between the two countries go too far.

Background:

• On 8 October, the South Korean Ministry of Defence said that North Korea was likely to send some of its regular armed forces to Ukraine in support of Russia.
• On 13 October, Zelenskyy said that North Korea was supplying Russia not only with weapons but also with personnel for its military forces, and called on partners to increase their support for Ukraine. On 14 October, Zelenskyy announced that North Korea had essentially joined the war. On 17 October, Zelenskyy stressed that Russia intends to involve about 10,000 soldiers from North Korea in the war against Ukraine.
• On 18 October, Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, confirmed that about 11,000 North Korean infantrymen were currently undergoing training in Russia’s east. They will be ready to take part in combat actions against Ukraine as early as 1 November.
• South Korea's National Intelligence Service reported that North Korea had sent 1,500 special forces troops to help Russia's war efforts in Ukraine. They have already arrived in Russia.

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