Russia may send DPRK soldiers fleeing positions in Kursk region to storm Ukraine

Babel, RBC-Ukraine, and hromadske report this, citing their own sources in the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.

About 40 military instructors from North Korea, along with 50 Russian soldiers, were at positions in the forest in the Kolyachek area of the Khomutovsky district of the Kursk region.

There, the DPRK military taught Russian troops how to use balloons for military purposes. In return, Russians taught North Korean representatives how to conduct modern infantry combat using the experience of the “special military operation.”

"After completing the training course, the North Korean military personnel were left in a forest in the Kolyachek area of the Khomutovsky district for several days without food and without any instructions on further plans and intentions. On October 14, some North Koreans decided to leave their positions without permission in order to search for the command of the Russian Armed Forces," the statement says.

In two days, Russians found the North Korean military about 60 kilometers from the place of escape.

According to sources, all 40 DPRK servicemen who were stationed in the Khomutovsky district have been moved to the Lgovsky district of the Kursk region for further participation in assault operations.

Military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK

On October 4, Kyiv Post reported that a missile strike in the occupied Donetsk region killed 20 soldiers, including six North Korean military personnel who were consulting Russian forces.

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

At a press conference in Brussels on October 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Russia is planning to train 10,000 North Korean soldiers for deployment to the war in Ukraine.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, reported that around 11,000 North Korean infantrymen are already stationed in eastern Russia, undergoing training to participate in combat operations in Ukraine. He noted that a first unit of 2,600 soldiers is set to move to Kursk, where Ukraine has established a foothold.

Ukraine later provided NATO with intelligence on North Korean military involvement in the war, requesting further data from alliance members.

On October 19, it was revealed that North Korea has sent 1,500 special forces to Russian territory. However, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that he could not yet confirm North Korea’s deployment of troops to assist Russia in the war against Ukraine.