Why North Korea is sending thousands of soldiers to fight for Russia
By Carl Samson
North Korea is reportedly sending a force of 12,000 troops to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, marking an escalation in military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. South Korea’s Defense Ministry, which provided the estimate to NBC News, condemned the move as a serious “provocation” and warned it “will not stand by and do nothing.”
- What they’re doing: North Korea’s forces reportedly include special units, military engineers and artillery troops, with an estimated 3,000 already deployed to Russia‘s eastern regions. These fighters, whose presence were confirmed by U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, are allegedly being disguised as Russians and placed under the Kremlin’s command. Meanwhile, leaked intercepts by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence reveal that Russian soldiers have been discussing the North Korean contingent, CNN reported. In one audio, a Russian soldier disdainfully calls them “the f*cking Chinese.” Another soldier questions the logistical challenges of managing the North Koreans, as each group of 30 troops is assigned an interpreter and three Russian officers, a move criticized by Russian troops as unsustainable. In an X post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he received intelligence that North Korean troops are expected to be deployed as early as Sunday.
- What’s in it for North Korea: The North Koreans’ deployment is the latest step in an increasingly close alliance between Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was formalized in a June pact committing both nations to provide military assistance in the event of war. Analysts suggest Kim is likely seeking advanced Russian military technology, particularly in areas like missile guidance, satellite development and nuclear-powered submarines — capabilities that would drastically increase North Korea’s strategic power against the U.S. and its allies. “Now he’s [Kim] got a path to survival,” Sydney Seiler, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the New York Times. “He’s got friends that have his back, and the pressure and threats from the United States and the international community regarding his nuclear program — you can now blow them all off. He’s got a friend in Vladimir Putin.”
- What Russia is saying: While Moscow has dismissed reports of North Korean deployments as “fake,” recent comments, including Putin’s vague defense of Russia’s “sovereign decision,” indicate an implicit acknowledgment of the alliance.
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