Axe reports that intercepted communications, released by
Ukraine’s HUR Military Intelligence, appear to confirm that thousands of North
Korean soldiers have started arriving near Russia’s western front lines.
The intercepted conversation between two Russian military
officials discussed a KamAZ truck driver stopped upon entering Kursk. “Several
KamAZ trucks were detained on the road” in Kursk Oblast, one officer explained
via radio to a colleague, noting that one of the trucks bore civilian plates.
The vehicle “wasn’t meant for combat use,” which concerned
the military police. Axe points out that the deployment of North Korean forces
in Kursk Oblast was not documented.
The North Korean troops mentioned in the radio intercepts
were “assigned” to the Russian Navy’s 810th Marine Brigade, tasked with
resisting the Ukrainian advance on the eastern edge of the Kursk salient near
the village of Ruska Konopelka (Sudzhanskyi district).
“Ukrainian drones and artillery are currently holding the
Russians back,” Axe writes.
He also notes the brutality of Russian marine units,
mentioning the 155th Separate Marine Brigade, which executed nine Ukrainian
prisoners of war in Kursk.
If Ukraine’s intelligence intercepts signal a larger movement
of North Korean forces to Kursk, Axe argues, it’s only a matter of time before
direct evidence of their involvement in combat surfaces.
Deployment of North Korean troops against Ukraine – Key points
On Oct. 18, Ukraine’s Chief of the HUR, Kyrylo Budanov,
stated that nearly 11,000 North Korean soldiers were training in eastern Russia
to fight against Ukraine.
On the same day, South Korean intelligence reported that
North Korea decided to deploy 12,000 troops to the war in Ukraine, including a
special forces unit.
On Oct. 20, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering
Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council noted that
satellite imagery captured the movement of thousands of North Korean troops
into Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that
Ukraine has information on the preparation of two North Korean military units.
He mentioned that there may be two brigades from North Korea, each comprising
around 6,000 troops. Budanov stated that the first North Korean forces would
arrive in Russia’s Kursk Oblast on Oct. 23.
South Korean intelligence reported that North Korea sent
3,000 of the 10,000 promised troops to Russia.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, North Korean troops are
expected to be deployed in combat zones on Oct. 27-28.
The New York Times reported Oct. 26, citing anonymous
officials, that several thousand North Korean soldiers arrived in Kursk Oblast
to help Russia counter Ukrainian Defense Forces advances.