North Korean troops bolster Russian forces in Ukraine conflict
The South Korean intelligence agency reported on Wednesday that North Korea is sending howitzers and rocket launchers to Russia. It is also known that nearly 11,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed in Russia's Kursk region and are already taking part in combat.
20 November 2024 09:21
North Korea is supplying artillery to the Russian Federation, including howitzers and rocket systems. Approximately 11,000 soldiers from North Korea are stationed in Russia's Kursk region, actively participating in military operations.
During a closed parliamentary committee meeting in Seoul, intelligence representatives (NIS) informed that North Korea had delivered self-propelled 170mm calibre guns and 240mm multi-launch rocket systems to Russia. South Korean lawmaker Lee Sung-kweun conveyed this information.
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Lee Sung-kweun emphasised that according to intelligence assessments, Pyongyang was likely obligated to also provide training personnel. North Korean military personnel were expected to train Russian soldiers on using the new equipment.
Until now, it was reported that North Korea was supplying Russia with 152mm calibre artillery shells. NIS estimates that Pyongyang delivered about 20,000 containers, capable of holding up to 9.4 million such shells, as revealed at the end of October.
NIS also determined that approximately 11,000 North Korean soldiers underwent acclimatisation training in Russia's Far East and were transferred to the Kursk region bordering Ukraine at the end of October. These soldiers were integrated into Russian airborne units and the Marine Corps, undergoing tactical and anti-drone training.
Due to North Korean troops' active involvement in direct combat operations, intelligence services are trying to obtain detailed information. They aim to determine the scope of operations and the extent of these forces' losses.
NIS representatives expressed concern that in the case of a prolonged war, Russia's dependence on North Korea's assistance might increase. As noted by the South Korean news agency Yonhap, this could prompt Russia to transfer to its ally "technologies that should not be shared."
