North Korean construction teams in Ukraine: New underground war front?
Recent reports indicate that construction teams from North Korea might appear in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. The "Daily Mail" suggests that their goal will not be to rebuild areas destroyed during the war.
The "Daily Mail" suggests that the North Korean regime may send military engineers to Ukraine. Officially, it is said that they would help rebuild the occupied territories, but many are reading between the lines. Kyiv suspects that North Koreans will help Russia establish another "underground front" by digging tunnels.
This would not be the first time Russians have used such a solution. Russia has already used tunnels twice during the ongoing war. According to United Ukraine analyst Oleksiy Kusch, they did so in Avdiivka and Toretsk, who warned of Putin's attempt to break the war "stalemate" by digging tunnels in the summer and autumn.
According to various sources, around five engineering brigades of the North Korean army could arrive in the Donbas region — Kusch revealed, as cited by the "Daily Mail".
The analyst points out that it is hard to believe that reconstruction will occur in the occupied territories while "the war is in full swing." He added that tunnels are a way to protect against drone and artillery attacks, position themselves, and dig in. "Who can dig better than the Koreans?" Kusch added.
In eastern Ukraine, the "underground tactic can be applied to a "creeping offensive" and breaking through complex, multi-layered defences, as well as minimising losses from drone and artillery attacks," the Ukrainian analyst stated.
Is Russia preparing to open an "underground front"?
Oleksiy Kusch stated that he would not be surprised if, during Putin’s visit to North Korea, the "underground war" strategy was approved and the idea came from Kim Jong Un’s regime. He emphasized that even if the chances of such a development are small, "Ukraine must technically prepare for this risk."
In Avdiivka, Russian commander Anton "Zima" Morozov (28 years old) led soldiers on all fours down a concrete pipe about one and a half kilometres long, which Russians had been clearing for a month. This way, they were supposed to get behind the Ukrainian position. The operation aimed to secure a key foothold for the Russians, speeding up the withdrawal of Ukrainian soldiers from the town.
