Some North Korean troops are trying to defect - military expert Zhmailo

This was stated by Dmytro Zhmailo, co-founder and executive director of the Ukrainian Centre for Security and Cooperation, on the Espreso TV channel.

‘The rate of monthly recruitment to the Russian army has dropped from 70,000 to about 18-20,000. This 12,000-strong group, part of which (2,600 people) is now located in the Kursk region, is a desperate attempt by the Russian command to meet its operational needs. The North Koreans are being equipped with Russian equipment, uniforms and documents, and are being secretly transported in civilian trucks. They are now being trained in basic commands and are being coached in combat. Some of them are trying to defect, and the Russian Guard is catching them all over the territory of the Russian Federation,’ he said.

We will be able to judge the real combat potential of these units only after direct clashes with the Ukrainian Defense Forces, Zhmailo said.

‘Despite the fact that they have been redeploying units of the North Korean Special Operations Forces, which number about 200,000 people, these special forces are only good by the standards of the DPRK. This army has not had any real combat experience since 1953. It is therefore interesting to see how they will behave in combat and whether there will be mass defections. 

But the pressure on the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk sector will increase by about a quarter, and Ukrainian defenders will face new challenges. We hope that the artillery strikes will continue, and this North Korean component will be levelled in the coming weeks,’ he added.

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 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.

Later, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in the Kursk region of Russia, noting that this was “a significant escalation in the DPRK's ongoing involvement in Russia's illegal war.”

During the Ukraine-Northern Europe summit, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Russian army is already using North Korean soldiers on the territory of Ukraine.