Thousands of North Korean soldiers undergoing training in russia, they may be transferred to Ukraine - ISW
Soldiers from the DPRK are already fighting in Ukraine, in addition, several thousand North Korean soldiers are undergoing training in russia and may be transferred to the front line in the future, the Institute for the Study of War reports.
This is stated in the russian Offensive Campaign Assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) as of October 11, 2024, the Ukrainian News agency reports.
Analysts cited by The Washington Post report that South Korean and Ukrainian officials have said that North Korean soldiers are already operating alongside russian forces in Ukraine.
A representative of Ukrainian military intelligence said that some North Korean officers are observing russian troops and studying the battlefield in the russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, but Ukraine has not yet seen North Korean units operating in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian official added that "several thousand" North Korean infantrymen are undergoing training on russian territory, and that the russian military command may transfer them to the front line in Ukraine by the end of 2024 or to the border areas of russia to free up russian "reserves" to participate in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, ISW writes.
It is noted that the North Korean military is probably operating in the occupied Donetsk Region. Analysts also remind that several North Korean officers were killed as a result of a recent missile strike near occupied Donetsk.
"The extent of the North Korean force grouping that Russia could deploy to the frontline or that could free up Russian forces along the border is unclear, but these scenarios may also aid Russian efforts to commit additional manpower to priority offensive operations in Ukraine and prolong the culmination of the Russian Summer 2024 offensive operation,” ISW reports.
Analysts also note that russia's deployment of North Korean troops may create opportunities for their use in Ukraine, depending on the quality, structure, deployment and interoperability of North Korean troops.