North Korea will send up to 30,000 additional soldiers to Russia, thereby tripling its troops deployment to help the Kremlin in its war with Ukraine, officials in Kyiv said on Tuesday.
CNN reported, citing unnamed Ukrainian officials that North Korea will reinforce its troops by sending more 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers to help 11,000
deployed in Russia’s border Kursk region last autumn. Pyongyang reportedly sent additional 3,000 troops to replace the 4,000 dead and wounded. North Korea has for months kept quiet about its direct involvement in the war in Ukraine. Recovered documents from killed and captured North Korean troops aiding Moscow forces in Kursk confirmed that they were provided with fake identities to conceal their involvement in Moscow’s invasion. North Korean leader Kim Jung-un officially acknowledged sending troops to Russian in April. On Sunday, Kim Jung-un paid a tribute to North Korean soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine, in the first acknowledgment of Pyongyang troops’ deployment to Russia.
The deployment of Pyongyang troops is in line with a military pact signed between North Korea and Russia in 2024. The pact obligates the two states to provide military assistance in case of an attack on the other. Apart from troops, Pyogyang has also sent weapons and drones to Russia. However, it’s less certain what North Korea receives in return.
