The number of North Koreans who will fight against Ukraine is growing rapidly
18 October 2024 13:21
According to various official and unofficial sources, the number of North Korean soldiers who will be sent to fight against Ukrainians is growing rapidly. As recently as yesterday, as reported by 
, it was about 3,000 people. Today, this still hypothetical figure has increased several times and continues to grow, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
For example, the head of the Defence Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov, told THE WARZONE that about 11,000 North Korean soldiers are currently training in eastern Russia.
“They will be ready [to start fighting] on 1 November,” Budanov said,
– budanov said.
He added that about 2,600 will be sent to Kursk region. It is not yet known where the rest of the DPRK soldiers will be sent.
Shortly afterwards, Reuters reported information from South Korean intelligence, according to which the DPRK decided to send 12,000 soldiers, including military commandos, to help Russia. They also said that they were monitoring the situation and had already seen North Korean specialists in the Russian army, but did not specify whether they had taken part in the fighting.
The day before, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had actually involved the DPRK in the war with Ukraine. And the US is concerned about information about DPRK troops in Ukraine.
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Cooperation between the DPRK and Russia
on 19 June 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid his first visit to North Korea in 24 years. During this visit, he signed an agreement on a “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the two countries with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un. After the signing, Putin noted that this agreement provides for assistance in case of aggression against one of the parties. Recently, the agreement was submitted for ratification in the Russian parliament. The agreement explicitly provides for military assistance:
"If one of the parties is subjected to an armed attack by any state or several states and is thus in a state of war, the other party shall immediately provide military and other assistance by all means at its disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
After the visit, it became known that the DPRK supplies Russia with artillery shells, which it uses in the war against Ukraine. According to The Times, their number is already approaching 3 million, which is half of all the shells that Russia is firing against Ukraine.
The Kyiv Post, citing intelligence sources, reported that on 3 October, 6 North Korean officers who were advising the Russians were killed in Donbas.
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