North Korea sends military aircraft pilots to Russia - media

Newsweek reports.

According to a government official in South Korea, the DPRK has sent fighter pilots to Vladivostok who could control Russian military aircraft. This happened in September.

The final motives for such cooperation between Russia and North Korea are currently unknown. It could be either training on Russian combat aircraft or the involvement of DPRK pilots in the war in Ukraine.

“But it could not rule out that Russia, which has suffered from a shortage of pilots during the Russia-Ukraine War, had requested assistance from the North. Russia would be the first overseas deployment for the North's combat pilots since the Vietnam War. They also operated in Syria and Egypt during the 1973 Yom Kippur War,” the media writes.

Military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK

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.