North Korea could send up to 100,000 troops to support Russia in Ukraine

North Korea can send up to 100,000 troops to support Russia in Ukraine

According to the G20 countries, North Korea may send up to 100,000 troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine if cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow deepens

Bloomberg reported the information.

According to the outlet’s sources, such a step is not inevitable. Furthermore, if military support of this magnitude does occur, it is likely to be provided by groups with troop rotations over time, rather than as part of a single, continuous deployment.

Ukraine's ambassador to South Korea, Dmytro Ponomarenko, has previously said that Kyiv expects about 15,000 North Korean troops to take part in combat operations in Russia's Kursk region and possibly in the occupied areas of eastern Ukraine. They can replace each other every few months on a rotational basis.

The outlet noted that concerns about the potential deployment of North Korean troops have raised alarms among Ukraine's allies, who warn of the risk of further escalation in the conflict. They believe that stronger ties between Putin and Kim could have a negative impact on security in the Indo-Pacific region.

At the same time, South Korea claims that there is a “high chance” that North Korea will try to obtain advanced technologies from Russia, including technologies related to tactical nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles, reconnaissance satellites and ballistic missile submarines.

According to Bloomberg, this issue will be raised by several allies at the G20 summit in Brazil and by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

According to German officials, Scholz will pressure Xi Jinping during their meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, November 19, to use his influence with Russia and North Korea to avoid further escalation of the war.

During a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday, November 16, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Xi Jinping said that China will not “allow conflict and turmoil to happen on the Korean Peninsula” and will not “sit idly by when its strategic security and core interests are under threat.”

Military cooperation between Russia and North Korea

On October 4, the Kyiv Post reported that 20 soldiers were killed in a missile strike on occupied Donetsk, including six North Korean military personnel advising the Russian army.

The South Korean Defense Minister warned on October 8 that North Korea may deploy troops to Ukraine in support of Russia.

At an October 17 press conference in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed Russia's plan to train 10,000 North Korean soldiers for combat in Ukraine.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, later reported that 11,000 North Korean infantrymen are training in eastern Russia, preparing for deployment to Ukraine. He added that the first unit of 2,600 soldiers is en route to Kursk, where Ukraine has established a stronghold.

Ukraine has since shared intelligence with NATO about North Korea’s military involvement and requested data from alliance members.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the participation of the North Korean military in the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia would mean a “significant escalation.” 

Later, it was reported that South Korea was considering providing Ukraine with military and intelligence assistance in response to North Korea's sending its military to fight on the side of Russia.

The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reported that on October 23, the North Korean military was spotted in the Kursk region.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that according to intelligence, the first North Korean military would be used by Russia in combat zones on October 27-28.

On October 25, South Korea's intelligence agency announced that North Korea plans to send a second batch of its military personnel to Russia, totaling up to 10,000 people.

On October 28, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the presence of North Korea's military in Russia’s Kursk region, noting that this is “a major escalation in DPRK’s ongoing role in Russia’s illegal war.” 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia was already using DPRK military personnel on the territory of Ukraine and that up to 12,000 troops could be deployed to Russian training grounds from the DPRK.

On October 31, reports stated that North Korea had dispatched three of its generals to Russia, including the DPRK's deputy chief of general staff, who also serves as the head of the country's main intelligence bureau.

On the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that, according to recent reports, up to 8,000 DPRK troops had been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region.

On November 1, President Zelensky announced that the first thousand North Korean soldiers were already positioned near the Ukrainian border. Additionally, Ukraine's intelligence indicated that in the last week of October, Russia had relocated over 7,000 North Korean army soldiers from its territory to areas close to Ukraine.