Amid speculation that the actual deployment of North Korean troops dispatched to Russia for training is imminent, a document believed to have been written by the Ukrainian military in case the Ukrainian military encounters or captures North Korean troops dispatched to Russia was made public through a pro-Russian Telegram account. .
On the 26th (local time), the pro-Russian Telegram account ‘Operation Z’ posted three documents and an article saying, “The Ukrainian military has begun issuing instructions in anticipation of the arrival of North Korean soldiers.” The document contains expressions in Korean, expressions translated into Ukrainian, and phonetic transcriptions in Ukrainian, such as “I was taken prisoner by the Ukrainian army,” “What is your mission,” “Are you hungry?”, “Don’t lie.” There are a total of 60 expressions, including “Do as instructed” and “Don’t run away.”
The account sarcastically said, “This document created by Kiiu will be useful to the North Korean military when they interrogate the ‘Great Ukrainians.’” However, the authenticity of the document has not been confirmed. Local media such as Russia’s Bestie also reported the matter.
The previous day, the New York Times (NYT), citing U.S. and Ukrainian officials, reported that North Korean troops had gathered in Kursk, a hotly contested battleground in mainland Russia. Since the first North Korean troops arrived in Kursk on the 23rd after a journey of approximately 6,400 km, thousands of people have been arriving every day. A senior Ukrainian official said that up to 5,000 North Korean troops are expected to gather by the 28th.
On the 25th, the Ukrainian General Intelligence Service cited the results of wiretapping among soldiers of the Russian 18th Separate Marine Brigade and reported that the Russian military plans to deploy one interpreter for every 30 soldiers to cooperate with the North Korean military. This appears to be intended to solve the problem of language barriers.
Meanwhile, Russian soldiers also expressed disdain for North Korean soldiers, CNN reported. The General Intelligence Directorate’s wiretaps revealed that Russian soldiers derogatorily called North Korean soldiers “K Battalion” and sometimes called them “damn Chinese.”
According to the Kiev Post, one soldier complained, using profanity, “The Chinese have arrived, and I don’t know what to do with them.”
It was also reported that the Russian military plans to deploy three of its own soldiers for every 30 North Korean soldiers in addition to interpreters, but is raising questions about the assignment of commanders, saying, “Where can we get three high-ranking officers for every 30 North Korean soldiers?”
It has not yet been confirmed what North Korea received from Russia in return for sending its troops. The NYT said that, as of now, U.S. officials say they have seen no evidence of a return, but that there are concerns that North Korea could receive significant military support.
Ukraine emphasized the deployment of North Korean troops to the front line and repeatedly appealed for support from the international community. In a video speech on the evening of the 26th, President Zelensky warned, “(Russia) is increasingly attracting North Korea as an ally, and now North Korean troops can appear on the battlefield fighting Ukraine at any time.”
Reporter Kim Bora purple@donga.com