North Korea plans to send second group of troops to Russia - South Korean intelligence

Bloomberg, citing the intelligence agency, stated that the first group, made up of 1,500 elite special forces, is already training in the Russian far east. Their transport to Vladivostok took place from October 8 to 13.

The report also points out that North Korea has sent a lot of weapons to Russia since August 2022. This includes about 8 million shells of 122 mm and 152 mm sizes, around 100 Hwasong-11 missiles, and Bulsae-4 anti-tank weapons.

North Korean weapons have already been spotted on the battlefield in Ukraine, with South Korean officials noting that these figures are much higher than previous estimates from Europe.

After about a month of training at military facilities in Vladivostok, Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk, and Blagoveshchensk, North Korean troops are expected to be sent to the front lines in Ukraine. According to intelligence, Russia plans to provide them with weapons, uniforms, and fake documents to disguise them as residents of eastern Russia.

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 infantrymenare 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.

On October 25, 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.