Why Russia conceals North Korea's military role in war against Ukraine

The Institute for the Study of War reported the information.

American analysts pointed out that the Pentagon confirmed on December 16 that North Korean soldiers had been killed in combat operations against Ukraine in the Kursk region. 

At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Russian military was trying to hide the presence of DPRK soldiers, forbidding them to show their faces during training in Russia and “disguising” them as Buryats. 

ISW stated that Russian officials and propagandists do not recognize the presence of North Korean forces in Russia or their participation in the fighting in the Kursk region. 

“The Kremlin will likely continue to avoid reporting on the deployment of North Korean forces in Kursk Oblast as doing so would tacitly acknowledge that Russia needs foreign troops to recapture its own territory and invalidate Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims that the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast resulted in high Russian recruitment rates,” the Institute for the Study of War concluded. 

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.

Later, Zelenskyy said that Russia had deployed more than 11,000 more DPRK troops to the Kursk region. On November 5, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that the first combat clash between Ukrainian soldiers and North Korean troops fighting on the side of the occupiers took place in the Kursk region of Russia.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Anatoliy Barhylevych, also confirmed the first fighting between Ukrainian and North Korean troops. 

The Financial Times reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had wounded a DPRK general in the Kursk region of Russia.

According to the Pentagon, as of December 10, North Korean troops are still in the Kursk region of Russia and are ready to engage in combat if necessary.