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North Korean troops on the road to Kursk: Will the course of the war change?

byadmin
October 26, 2024

Ukraine claimed that thousands of North Korean troops had begun to pour into Russian territory in Kursk. The troops are expected to help push Ukrainian forces out of Russian territory. North Korean troops have not taken part in a war since the 1950s. Even before they get to the battlefield, they will have to contend with a language barrier, unfamiliar terrain and military traditions that may be very different from their own.

A Ukrainian official and two American officials suggested that thousands of North Korean troops have been deployed to the Kursk region of Russia, which was shaken by Ukraine’s surprise attack. The officials said North Korean troops had not yet entered combat and it was not clear what role they would play.
Whatever their role, the officials said, the North Korean troops would allow Russia to maintain more power in eastern Ukraine and could focus on capturing as much Ukrainian territory as possible before the harsh winter weather sets in.
For weeks, the South Korean and Ukrainian governments have warned that thousands of North Koreans are training alongside Russian soldiers. Ukraine has raised that estimate to 12,000 troops.
U.S. officials confirmed that a contingent of North Korean soldiers had been transported by ship to Vladivostok, a major Russian city in the Pacific Ocean.
On Wednesday, the first North Korean troops arrived in the Kursk region traveled about 4,000 miles, and thousands more have arrived every day since.
A senior Ukrainian official with knowledge of the troop movements said up to 5,000 North Korean troops were expected to be assembled by Monday.
The troops are part of an elite unit of the Korean People’s Army, according to officials.
The Ukrainian official claimed that the soldiers were flown from Vladivostok to a military airfield in western Russia on huge Il-76 transport planes and then taken to the battlefield.
While there have been mixed signals about whether additional North Korean troops will be sent to fight on Ukrainian soil, they are currently reportedly concentrated only in the Kursk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, citing intelligence services, that North Korean troops would be deployed to the battlefield as of next week. “This is clearly an escalatory step by Russia,” Zelensky said.
North Korean troops have not taken part in any war since the 1950s.
Even before they get to the battlefield, they will have to contend with a language barrier, unfamiliar terrain and army traditions that may be very different from their own.
If sent to the front lines at Kursk, they will face battle-hardened Ukrainian forces that Russian troops have been unable to expel since August. More than 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the beginning of the war.
byadmin
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