North Korean operatives being deployed to help Russia in war against Ukraine

10/14/2024 / By Ramon Tomey

North Korean operatives are being deployed alongside Russian troops in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, according to sources who spoke to the Guardian.

Senior officials from Ukraine and South Korea confirmed this to the British publication, noting that Pyongyang has deployed military engineers to aid Moscow target Kyiv with ballistic missiles. According to one Ukrainian source, there are dozens of North Koreans behind Russian lines in teams that “support launcher systems for KN-23 missiles.”

“The KN-23 is a short-range ballistic missile that was first tested in 2019 and has been compared to Russia’s Iskander-M missiles,” the news outlet described the munition. “It is thought to have a range of about 280 miles when carrying a 500-kilogram warhead.”

The senior officials from Kyiv and Seoul also confirmed that some fighters operating in occupied areas of the country have already been killed. North Korean operatives were among the casualties of a Ukrainian missile strike on Russian-occupied territory near the Donetsk People’s Republic last week. However, it was unclear if the North Korean casualties were indeed military engineers or other forces.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun told lawmakers in the capital Seoul that it was “highly likely” that North Korean officers had been deployed to fight against the Russians, and that several had died in the attack. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, meanwhile expressed certainty that North Koreans were indeed killed in Russia in a Telegram post.

“Foreigners have fought as mercenaries for Russia,” the Guardian pointed out. “[But] if North Koreans are on the ground, it would mark the first time a foreign government has sent troops in uniform to support Moscow’s war.” (Related: North Korean troops could join Russia’s war action against Ukraine.)

North Korea keeps Russian guns loaded

According to the publication, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia last year and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the two strongmen bolstered their deepening ties via a secret arms deal, “the agreement went beyond supplying materiel.”

“North Korean missiles and shells are of poor quality and unreliable but have been key to keeping Russian guns firing relentlessly on Ukraine’s better-trained and motivated army. Pyongyang’s ammunition shipments were vital in allowing Russian forces to advance in a grinding war of attrition in eastern Ukraine this summer.”

One Ukrainian source estimated that the hermit kingdom had provided more than two million rounds to Moscow. Ukrainian media also reported that the KN-23 missiles from Pyongyang were used in dozens of strikes across Ukraine last winter. The missiles were deployed again starting in July, after several months’ pause.

On Oct. 9, the Ukrainian military announced that it had destroyed North Korean ammunition in a strike. The attack targeted a depot in Russia’s western Bryansk region.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University‘s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, told the Agence France-Presse that Pyongyang’s participation in the Russia-Ukraine war benefits the hermit kingdom in more ways than one. This gives North Korea a chance to test its weapons, gain combat experience for its troops and bolster its standing with a powerful international ally.

“For North Korea, which has supplied Russia with many shells and missiles, it’s crucial to learn how to handle different weapons and gain real-world combat experience,” he said. “This might even be a driving factor behind sending North Korean soldiers – to provide them with diverse experiences and wartime training.”

Meanwhile, both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied weapons and munitions sales between the two nations. On Oct. 10, a day after Kyiv destroyed a depot of North Korean weapons in Bryansk, the Kremlin dismissed talk of Pyongyang deploying troops in the Ukrainian front as “another bit of fake news.”

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Watch this clip of Russian President Vladimir Putin arriving in North Korea during his state visit to the hermit kingdom in June.

This video is from the Cynthia’s Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.