Ukrainian serviceman outlines how Russia may use North Korean soldiers in war on Ukraine

Ivan Tymochko, Chairman of the Council of Reservists of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian army, shared his opinion on the Espreso TV channel.

‘How exactly the reinforcement will be carried out depends on many factors, in particular, whether it will be direct participation in hostilities. Given the announced figure of 12,000 potential Russian military, we can assume that it is a division. The division may consist of different brigades: artillery, infantry, tank, aviation. The format of their participation is not yet fully understood. 

Perhaps they will be engineering brigades. They could also be used to replace Russian troops at specific military facilities or to perform specific tasks, such as building fortifications for the Russian army. This would allow the Russian military, which is currently engaged in these tasks, to be sent to the front line to take part in combat operations. Perhaps some North Korean troops will be sent to the front line to gain combat experience, while others will be left in the rear to build a bridgehead or develop the territory to increase the movement of troops. In any case, this is a serious problem and threat, as the DPRK has decided to provide its troops to another country during hostilities. Under international law, this makes them a subject of aggression against Ukraine,’ he said.

As for regular troops, their integration into the Russian army will not be too difficult. But integrating North Korean pilots will not be easy, Tymochko said.

‘North Korea is a post-Soviet country with a corresponding system of training, management and military strategy. Although there are some adaptive aspects, in general, it will not create major difficulties. At the staff level, if the North Korean and Russian command centers are coordinated, this will facilitate the process, as commands will be transmitted to the Korean staffs, and they will transmit them in Russian. Translators will do their job, and the commands will reach the troops in whatever language is needed to complete the task.  

The Russians will have more difficulty with North Korean pilots, and they will integrate the pilots into the Russian training system. This will be similar to training Ukrainian pilots who have skills in operating modern or post-Soviet aircraft to fly F-16s. Pilots are trained for a very specific type of aircraft, and it is almost impossible to transfer them to another type,’ the serviceman said.