Russia to assign interpreter, three servicemen for every 30 DPRK soldiers — Ukraine's intel

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence reported the information.

The intercepted conversations involve the 810th Separate Marine Brigade of the 18th Army of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces, which is engaged in combat in the Kursk region.

In these discussions, Russian soldiers talked about preparations for the reception and distribution of North Korean servicemen, referred to as Battalion K, in the Kursk direction.

The Russian military plans to assign one interpreter and three Russian servicemen for every 30 soldiers from North Korea. However, the Russians themselves have expressed doubts about the feasibility of providing Russian commanders to the newly arrived troops.

Ukraine's intelligence has reported that approximately 12,000 North Korean military personnel have been transferred to Russia, including 500 officers, among whom are three Pyongyang generals.

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.

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.