2024-10-28 23:07:00
Russia will have around 12 thousand North Korean soldiers available for the war against Ukraine and will employ them in particular in the Kursk regioninvaded by Kiev forces since August 6. The new phase of the conflict is opening with another protagonist, the contingent that Kim Jong-un has made available to Vladimir Putin. The picture, initially outlined by South Korean intelligence, has now taken shape in a definitive way.
Zelensky’s alarm
About 12 thousand North Korean military personnel will “soon” be in Russia for training, reiterated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who expects to see Asian soldiers on the battlefield in Ukraine.
“There are already 3 thousand North Korean soldiers on Russian territory. According to our intelligence services, soon there will be 12 thousand”, he declared in a press conference on the occasion of a summit in Iceland with the leaders of the Nordic countries, once again denouncing an ‘escalation ‘ of the conflict. Russia, he then added, “will use them on our territory”.
Does the US change its mind on Atacms missiles?
The information released by Zelensky is in line with that coming from the United States. For the Pentagon, North Korean support will materialize with the sending of at least 10 thousand units, a figure lower than that cited by the Ukrainian president. “We believe that North Korea has sent a total of approximately 10,000 troops to train in eastern Russia,” which will “likely” result in “an increase in Russian forces near Ukraine in the coming weeks,” the Pentagon spokeswoman said. Sabrina Singh.
At the same time, President Joe Biden called the deployment of North Korean soldiers in Russia “very dangerous.”. The United States has announced that it is in contact with Chinese authorities regarding the matter.
“We have communicated with China about this to let them know that we are concerned and that they should be concerned about the destabilizing actions of two of their neighbors, Russia and North Korea,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, recalling that Beijing has “an influential voice” in the region.
In this context, it is not excluded that Washington may review its position on long-range missiles supplied to Ukraine. So far, Kiev has not had authorization to use Atacms missiles against military targets on Russian territory: with the entry of North Korea on the scene, however, the situation changes and the restrictions could be revised.
When will the North Korean soldiers come into action?
According to the New York Times, North Korean soldiers will go into action in the coming days to strike Ukrainian positions in the Kursk regionwhere Moscow has already deployed 50 thousand men compared to the 30 thousand available to the Ukrainians. North Korea would also have sent the number two of the army, Kim Yong-bok, who would be in Russian territory as head of the troops sent by Kim. It is not clear what equipment the Asian military has.
The Wall Street Journal has turned the spotlight on the units sent by Pyongyang. According to analysts, the units are mainly made up of young, inexperienced and poorly trained soldiers. In short, Kim Jong-un would not have offered Putin the best of his catalog for now.
South Korea is moving
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun called North Korean soldiers “cannon fodder” but he did not exclude the intervention of other, much more qualified departments. The operation appears to be proceeding at a faster pace than expected. Hong Jang-won, deputy director of South Korean intelligence, reported that the deployment to Russia’s Kursk region occurred “ahead of schedule.” “We initially informed the government” with the message that the deployment “could go on until early December, but it seems that the pace has increased a bit since the information was released,” he said.
For this reason, a South Korean delegation will be in Ukraine this week for meetings with intelligence and defense officials, as announced by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and as reported by the Yonhap agency, specifying that the objective of the mission is to share information on the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia and talk about “cooperation measures”. Yoon’s office said the program was shared during a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
South Korea, one of the world’s leading arms exporters, has so far offered no military aid to Ukraineexcept helmets. Seoul has guaranteed humanitarian support, but could now radically change its position: North Korea’s intervention in the conflict is destined to radically change the scenario.
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