North Korea bolsters Russian frontline with 10,000 troops
North Korea has assisted Russia by sending 10,000 troops to the Ukrainian front. However, they are commanded by a Russian major general, a Japanese broadcaster NHK reported on Tuesday. The presence of North Korean soldiers indicates "close cooperation" between the two regimes.
For several weeks, there have been reports from the war front that Russia can count on North Korea's support in conducting its offensive operations. Moscow's cooperation with Pyongyang is no longer limited to supplying military equipment. Kim Jong Un has permitted 10,000 North Korean soldiers to appear on the front.
A Russian commands the Koreans. "Close cooperation"
As the Japanese broadcaster NHK has determined, soldiers of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are subordinate to a Russian military officer with the rank of major general (British equivalent: divisional general), who has commanded the 76th Airborne Division since 2020. The officer's identity has not been disclosed; it is only known that he previously served in Syria.
The deployment of soldiers to the war front is meant to indicate "close cooperation" between Russia and North Korea, claims the Japanese broadcaster. Moscow has given the entire operation of accepting North Korean troops the codename Project Vostok (Project East).
U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin made the official announcement that 10,000 North Korean soldiers supported the Russian army on 31 October. 8,000 troops were reportedly sent to the Kursk region, which was attacked and partly occupied by Ukraine in August.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported that up to 11,000 soldiers from the DPRK might already be stationed in the Kursk region. Reports from South Korea indicate that in exchange for military support, Pyongyang is to receive from Moscow financial compensation of £160 million annually and at least 670,000 metric tonnes of rice.
As part of the close cooperation, Russia was also supposed to commit to assisting North Korea in launching a military reconnaissance satellite and providing support in case of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
