Publications

DPRK flag in Donbas: how Russian propaganda is trying to intimidate Ukraine

ANALYSIS

Another fake appeared on Russian Telegram channels – a photo with a North Korean flag in the area of occupied Tsukuryno in the Pokrovske direction. The National Security and Defence Council’s Countering Disinformation Centre called it part of an intimidation strategy. Will Russia succeed in intimidating Ukraine and how propaganda can turn against the terrorist state itself – read more in the article .

Russia uses North Korean troops primarily for domestic propaganda. Roman Svitan, a retired colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a military expert, told Komersant ukrainskyi in an exclusive commentary. He says that the demonstration by the Russian media of the presence of the North Korean military on Russian territory is aimed primarily at the domestic audience. The Kremlin is trying to show its own population that it has support from the outside, especially against the backdrop of countries such as China and Iran refusing to publicly recognise their participation in the war, Svitan says.

“Russia needs to show someone, so they are focusing on the North Korean military, although in reality their presence in the theatre is minimal. They are mostly officers who accompany the supply of ammunition. It is not worth talking about the deployment of a large-scale military mission by the DPRK. Although there is a theoretical possibility of sending North Korean troops 10,000 kilometres away to take part in hostilities, this does not pose a serious threat at the moment,”

– said Roman Svitan.

The military officer also stressed that such information operations by Russia could be used to Ukraine’s advantage. He believes it is right to appeal to international partners, in particular Japan and South Korea, for help in countering such threats.

“Ukraine can gain more advantages in this information confrontation than Russia,”

– Roman Svitan believes

At the same time, according to Newsweek, South Korea is considering a plan to send military and intelligence personnel to Ukraine in response to the DPRK sending its soldiers to Russia. So, if the information is confirmed, Russian propaganda has already begun to act in the opposite direction.

Follow us on Telegram: the main news in a nutshell

DPRK’s first official reaction to sending its troops to Ukraine

Moreover, even North Korea is still afraid to publicly acknowledge the presence of its troops, even on Russian territory. And this is despite the numerous photo and video evidence that has appeared in the public domain.

At the UN meeting, the DPRK called the statements by South Korea and Ukraine about sending their troops to participate in the war on the side of Russia “unfounded rumours”. Thus, for the first time, it publicly reacted to the sending of DPRK troops to Ukraine.

“Regarding the so-called military cooperation with Russia, my delegation does not feel the need to comment on such baseless stereotypical rumours aimed at tarnishing the image of the DPRK and undermining the legitimate relations of friendship and cooperation between the two sovereign states,”

– said North Korea’s representative to the UN

Despite the fact that North Korea’s state mouthpieces continue to conceal the deployment of troops, new details are emerging in the media.

According to The Telegraph on 19 October, the North Korean authorities have sent their Special Operations Forces (SOF) to Russia to take part in the war against Ukraine. This special unit, founded in 1968, was previously used for reconnaissance missions and testing South Korea’s defence capabilities. Their most famous operation was an attempted attack on the Blue House, the residence of the South Korean president, which failed.

“This unit is one of the most mysterious and secretive in the world. While the DPRK’s SDF is well trained and loyal, its military equipment remains outdated,”

– The Telegraph notes.

At the same time, another video confirming the presence of the DPRK military in Russia was posted online. The Russian media resource ASTRA has geolocated a video that, according to its authors, shows the arrival of North Korean soldiers at a military base. This is allegedly the military unit 44980 of the 127th Motorised Infantry Division in the village of Sergeevka, Primorsky Krai.

“Handsome allies have arrived from North Korea. I hope the war will end here,”

– says the author of the video in Yakut.

Follow us on Telegram: the main news in a nutshell

What are the DPRK troops capable of?

Israeli army reserve officer and military analyst Grigory Tamar, in a commentary for the News Factory YouTube channel, stressed the importance of which North Korean units will be involved in the war on the side of Russia. According to him, it is about engineering troops and sappers, who have unique experience in fortification work.

“The North Korean army is highly trained in engineering and fortification. They have considerable experience in this area, which makes their units important for the war, particularly in the construction of fortifications. As for other branches of the military, such as pilots or tankers, their level of training is much lower,”

– said Tamar.

The expert also believes that the participation of the DPRK military in the war against Ukraine could be a mutually beneficial deal between Russia and North Korea. He is also convinced that it is not Ukraine that should be afraid of in the first place, but South Korea.

“North Korea has probably received guarantees of military assistance from Russia in the event of a conflict with a third country, and this could obviously be South Korea. Thus, this may be part of the preparations for a possible escalation of the conflict between the North and the South, the signs of which we have been seeing for six months now,”

– Hryhoriy Tamar summed up.

I would like to remind you that during his visit to Brussels, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 10,000 DPRK military personnel could be involved in the war.

The head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Budanov, claims that about 11,000 North Korean infantrymen are currently undergoing combat training in eastern Russia and will be sent to combat positions on 1 November.

Follow us on Telegram: the main news in a nutshell

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.

Follow us on Telegram: the main news in a nutshell

Author: Anastasia Fedor

Reading now

Buckwheat prices are rising: Will Ukraine have to buy Russian buckwheat from Kazakhstan?

A new stage of mobilization: what changes are being prepared by the Ministry of Defense and what conscripts should expect

Where is the safest place to fly to for a vacation right now: how global instability is changing tourist routes

Taxes in exchange for loans: how Ukraine will pay for cooperation with the IMF