North Korea now joins Russian troops to fight Ukraine, senior officials in Kyiv and Seoul have confirmed, per The Guardian.
North Korean military engineers have been sent to assist Russia in targeting Ukraine with ballistic missiles, according to senior officials in Kyiv and Seoul.
Reports indicate that teams of North Koreans are operating behind Russian lines, specifically supporting the launcher systems for KN-23 missiles.
Last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Vladimir Putin in Russia, where they solidified their alliance through a covert arms deal.
North Korean ammunition shipments have been crucial for Russian forces as they engage in a prolonged war of attrition in eastern Ukraine.
Recent developments suggest that the agreement between the two nations extends beyond mere material support, as some North Koreans were reportedly killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk.
This marks a significant escalation, as it would be the first instance of a foreign government sending troops in uniform to aid Russia’s military efforts.
South Korea’s Defense Minister, Kim Yong-hyun, noted that it is “highly likely” that North Korean officers have been deployed alongside Russian forces, with several casualties reported, although specific details were not provided.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, confirmed that North Koreans had been killed in Russia, indicating their involvement on the front lines.
Recently, Ukrainian military operations destroyed North Korean ammunition in a strike on a depot in the Bryansk region, located approximately 75 miles from the Ukrainian border.
For North Korea, involvement in the Ukraine conflict offers an opportunity to test its weapons and gain combat experience for its troops while strengthening ties with Russia.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, emphasized that gaining real-world combat experience is likely a significant factor motivating North Korea to send troops.
Despite the poor quality of North Korean missiles and shells, they have played a vital role in sustaining Russian artillery operations against Ukraine’s more skilled military.
Estimates suggest that North Korea has supplied around half of the larger-caliber ammunition used in the conflict this year, totaling over 2 million rounds, along with KN-23 missiles used in various strikes across Ukraine.
The KN-23, a short-range ballistic missile first tested in 2019, is comparable to Russia’s Iskander-M missiles, with an estimated range of about 280 miles when equipped with a 500 kg warhead.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied any arms transactions, although they have publicly acknowledged their growing relationship.
In a recent birthday message, Kim described Putin as his “closest comrade,” and during a state visit to North Korea in June, the two leaders signed a mutual aid agreement.
In exchange for military hardware, North Korea is believed to be seeking Russian assistance with its spy satellite program, which has faced significant setbacks in recent years.
The extent to which Russia will share sensitive military technology with North Korea in return for continued support in Ukraine remains uncertain.
Amid ongoing UN sanctions targeting its missile and nuclear programs, Pyongyang is looking to bolster its alliances with Russia and China as part of a strategy against perceived Western dominance.
This strategy has already yielded results, as demonstrated in March when Russia used its veto power in the UN Security Council to effectively end monitoring of sanctions violations, a move that was publicly welcomed by North Korea.
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