North Korea ready to send up to 30,000 soldiers to Russia

Ukrainian intelligence: North Korean troops reinforcing those already present to support Moscow’s offensive

Kim Jong-un’s North Korea is ready to triple the number of soldiers sent to Russia to support the military offensive against Ukraine. According to an analysis by Ukrainian defence intelligence, viewed by CNN, Pyongyang is about to send another 25-30,000 soldiers to join the 11,000 already deployed in autumn 2024 along the front line in the Russian Federation.

The first North Korean contingents were deployed in the Russian region of Kursk to counter Ukrainian incursions. Of these, according to Western sources, about 4,000 were killed or wounded. Despite heavy losses, military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow has strengthened in recent months, prompting the North Korean regime to plan a massive increase in its presence on the ground.

Moscow ready to supply weapons and integration to Korean units
In the report, Ukrainian intelligence points out that the Russian Ministry of Defence is already equipped to provide North Korean troops with “the necessary equipment, weapons and ammunition”. The aim would be operational integration with Russian forces, especially in the occupied territories of Ukraine, including during any large-scale offensive operations.

The document speaks of a “high possibility” that the new North Korean forces will be deployed directly in combat, increasing military pressure in some of the most contested areas of the conflict.

Signs of preparation: naval and air movements between Pyongyang and Moscow
According to information gathered by Ukrainian intelligence and reported by CNN, Russian military transport aircraft are being reconfigured to transfer personnel over long distances. The logistics of troop movements would involve a passage through eastern Siberia, which borders directly with North Korea.

Satellite images analysed show suspicious movements in ports and airports, consistent with the imminent deployment of military personnel: in particular, the landing of a cargo plane at Sunan Airport (Pyongyang) and the arrival of a Russian ship in a Far East port have been reported.

A presence that is no longer secret
The initial deployment of 11,000 North Korean soldiers, which took place clandestinely in November 2024, was only made official at the end of April by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sources speak of a first transfer via a Ropucha-class landing ship which, according to analysts, docked at the Russian port of Dunai near Nakhodka with a contingent of about 400 soldiers.

The expansion of this unprecedented military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is a further cause for concern for Kiev and the West, which are closely monitoring developments on the eastern front and the spread of the conflict to new international players.

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