WP: Russia prepares DPRK military for possible deployment to Ukraine

12 October, 2024 The military of the DPRK. Photo: www.kcna.kp Several thousand soldiers from the DPRK are undergoing training in Russia and may be deployed to Ukraine by the end of the year.

A representative of Ukrainian military intelligence told the Washington Post on condition of anonymity. According to him, the North Korean officers are already in part of the occupied territory of Ukraine to observe the Russian troops and study the battlefield. However, so far, the Ukrainian military has not yet encountered any North Korean unit that would take part in combat operations.

The source also said that it was not yet known where exactly on the Ukrainian front combat units from the DPRK military, which were undergoing training in Russia, could had been deployed.

One possibility is that they could be used in the Russia's border regions to free up the Russian troops to take part in the fighting in Ukraine. "This could have a significant impact.

Especially if we are talking about releasing reserves on the territory of the Russian Federation itself," said a Ukrainian intelligence official. These scenarios could also help Russia to deploy the additional forces to the priority offensive operations in Ukraine. Last year, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reported the arrival of a limited contingent of DPRK military personnel, including the engineering troops, to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.

In particular, the North Korean military specialists are helping the Russians use KN-23 tactical missile systems. Back in June, it became known that the DPRK had sent at least 10,000 shipping containers to Russia that could had contained almost 5 million pieces of artillery ammunition. In addition, the Russian Armed Forces have received dozens of North Korean ballistic missiles.

The military assistance provided to Russia by North Korea has already caused Ukraine great damage on the battlefield.