North Korean intelligence revealed last week that North Korea would send troops to Ukraine to support Russia’s war effort. To prepare for this arrival, several North Koreans are already present in Donbass or in Russia to scout and observe the Russian army. A Ukrainian military source confirmed that several North Korean officers had been killed in a missile strike on October 3.
Another Ukrainian military intelligence official also stated that “ several thousand » of North Korean infantry soldiers were currently undergoing training in Russia. They could be deployed to the front lines in Ukraine by the end of the year. And the form that this North Korean deployment will take is becoming clearer.
Training in Buryatia
According to several sources, these North Korean soldiers are united in a “special Buryat battalion” and in training on the base of the 11th Russian airborne assault brigade, in Buryatia, a Russian region neighboring China. The name is important since it suggests that the North Korean army will fight under the Russian banner, limiting the risk for Pyongyang of being considered an official co-belligerent.
« Currently, the process of providing the battalion with small arms and ammunition is underway. The battalion is likely to be involved in combat missions in Russia’s Kursk region », reports the Suspilne media. “ The approximate strength of this battalion is approximately 3,000 people », adds the LIGA media.
Near the border with Ukraine
But this North Korean detachment already seems to have some problems. Intelligence sources, cited by Suspilne, report that “ 18 North Korean soldiers have already escaped from their positions on the Ukrainian border with the Russian regions of Bryansk and Kursk “. The Russian army is said to be looking for them and has not yet notified the high command. Information confirmed by other sources to the Ukrainian newspaper KyivPost.
The deserters were undoubtedly part of a group sent to the Kursk region to prepare for the arrival of the battalion. As for the reasons for these soldiers to abandon their post, they are not yet known but this is not the first time that North Koreans have deserted.
