Russian forces bolster ranks with North Korean soldiers in Kursk
Russia is not publicizing the presence of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. According to analysts from ISW, this action by the Kremlin aims to mask the personnel shortages within its own army.
The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that the Pentagon confirmed the death of North Korean soldiers in battles against Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, emphasized that the Russian military is attempting to hide the presence of North Korean soldiers by prohibiting them from showing their faces during training in Russia and "masking" them.
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ISW observed that Russian officials and propagandists do not acknowledge the presence of North Korean forces in Russia or their involvement in battles in the Kursk region.
"The Kremlin continues to withhold information about the deployment of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region because it confirms that Russia requires foreign troops to regain its own territory and contradicts Vladimir Putin's claims regarding the increase in volunteers joining the Russian army," analysts at ISW stated.
Units of the North Korean army that Russia deployed in the war against Ukraine were put on alert on December 13th. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reported that the command of units from North Korea received orders to cooperate with Russian troops conducting combat operations in the Kursk region. North Korean soldiers also received additional food supplies, which are partly being transported to the front lines by civilian trucks resembling water delivery vehicles.
Ukraine confirms the presence of North Korean soldiers
On December 14th, Volodymyr Zelensky officially confirmed for the first time the involvement of North Korean soldiers in offensive operations on Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region and "significant losses" on their side.
On the same day, Ukrainian military intelligence GUR reported the first losses of North Korean soldiers – 200 personnel. According to intelligence, after the losses in the assaults on the Kursk region, the units of the North Korean army are being reinforced with new personnel to continue active combat operations.
Source: ISW, espreso.tv, WP Wiadomości
