Ragnarok--Part XI--North Korea Sending Troops To Fight In Russia-Ukraine War

 One can argue that the war in Ukraine is already a world war due to the equipment being provided to the combatants by other countries; e.g., NATO countries providing equipment and aid to Ukraine and China, Iran and their allies assisting Russia. 

    But it is one thing to provide equipment or even military advisors, and quite another to have a substantial number of boots on the ground. Thus, I read with interest various news articles reporting that North Korea is supplying troops to Russia to fight in the Ukrainian conflict.

• "North Korean troops prep for combat to support Russia in Ukraine war: ‘Grave security threat’"--New York Post.
• "North Korean Troops Seen Moving to Russia in Satellite Images"--Newsweek.
• "Zelenskyy says 10,000 North Koreans could join Russian forces in Ukraine as he pushes ‘victory plan’"--AP.
• "Ukraine's Zelenskiy says North Korean officers deployed alongside Russians"--Reuters.
• "Nearly 11,000 North Korean Troops In Russia Preparing To Enter The Fight Says Ukraine’s Spy Boss"--The War Zone.

The War Zone article reports:

    “They will be ready [to fight in Ukraine] on Nov. 1,” Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov told TWZ.

    The North Korean troops will be using Russian equipment and ammunition, said Budanov. The first cadre of 2,600 soldiers will go to Kursk, where Ukraine has established a heavily fought-over foothold (more on that later). It is unclear where the remaining North Korean troops will go, he added.

    “We don’t have the full picture right now,” said Budanov.

    Pyongyang’s forces, as we previously noted, have already been killed in Ukraine.

And:

    As we previously reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted a draft law to the Russian State Duma on Monday seeking ratification of a strategic partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang, hammered in June. It calls for each side to provide military assistance to each other in the event of war.

    In another sign of the burgeoning relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang, a report emerged on Thursday claiming that Russian troops are training to use North Korean self-propelled artillery.

But the article also notes that the U.S. had not been able to verify Ukraine's claims. But that may have changed, as the Newsweek article reports that South Korean intelligence has satellite images from mid-August showing approximately 1,500 North Korean special forces boarding Russian transport ships. The New York Post article adds: "The troops, transported to Vladivostok from Oct. 8 to 13, have received Russian military uniforms, weapons, and fake Russian IDs, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said." I can't tell if there were two groups that went to Russia, or if the Russian ships were only just leaving North Korea.

    Newsweek also reports that "[f]urther intelligence reports released on Friday by South Korea stated that North Korea had sent a total of 12,000 troops to assist Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine." The same article reports:

    Some 18 North Korean soldiers are believed to have deserted the Russian frontline, with Kremlin fighters reportedly searching for them, it was reported on Wednesday.

    The troops were deployed in Russia's Kursk and Bryansk oblasts, about four miles from the border with Ukraine, when they deserted, the public broadcasting company of Ukraine, Suspilne, reported.

    Intelligence officials cited by the broadcaster said the Russian military is searching for the North Korean soldiers, while commanders are trying to conceal the desertion from their higher-ups.

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Prior Posts:

• Ragnarok
• Ragnarok--Part II
• Ragnarok--Part III: What Are Russia's Intentions?
• Ragnarok Part IV--What Response?
• Ragnarok Part V--Ripples and Consequences
• Ragnarok Part VI--Taking East Ukraine
• Ragnarok Part VII -- Russian Occupation of the Donbas
• Ragnarok Part VIII -- Russia Invades Ukraine
• Ragnarok Part IX -- Could This Go Nuclear?
• Ragnarok--Part X: U.S. Sending Longer Range Missiles to Ukraine?