Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of Ukraine announced today that the first Russian-trained North Korean units were deployed in the Russian Kursk region, where the armed forces of Ukraine entered in August, reported Reuters, France Press and Ukrinform, quoted by BTA.
In the statement of GUR on the social network “Telegram” It said about 12,000 North Korean soldiers, including 500 officers and three generals, are already in Russia, having trained at five military bases in the east of the country.
According to GUR, several weeks are planned for setting up the interoperability of North Korean troops, which Russia intends to use in the war against Ukraine.
„Moscow has appointed Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov to be in charge of monitoring the training and adaptation of North Korean soldiers,”, the statement said.
According to GUR, the soldiers sent by Pyongyang are equipped with ammunition, have winter clothes and shoes and personal hygiene products, writes Ukrinform. According to previously established norms, Moscow will provide 50 meters of toilet paper and 300 grams of soap to each of the soldiers, the agency adds.
„The Kremlin has high hopes for the North Korean component in the war against Ukraine and the global confrontation with the West,”, notes GUR.
The head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, yesterday officially confirmed for the first time that the North Korean military has arrived in Russia. According to the Minister of Defense, their purpose remains unclear at the moment.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service previously estimated that Pyongyang had decided to send 12,000 troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine.