5,000 soldiers from North Korea will be transferred to kursk region by Monday - NYT
Kyiv • UNN
By Monday, 5,000 North Korean soldiers from an elite unit will arrive in the kursk region of russia. It is not yet known what role they will play in the hostilities against Ukraine.
By Monday, October 28, it is expected that 5 thousand North Korean soldiers, who are part of an elite unit, will be transferred to the kursk region of rf. This was reported by The New York Times citing a Ukrainian official, reports UNN.
Details
One Ukrainian and two U.S. officials told the publication that several thousand North Korean soldiers have arrived in the kursk region in western russia, where they are expected to take part in an upcoming russian counteroffensive.
The source says North Korean troops have not yet entered the battle and it is not yet clear what role they will play.
Whatever their role, officials said, any significant contingent of North Korean troops would allow russia to keep more of its forces in eastern Ukraine, where they could focus on seizing as much of Ukrainian territory as possible before the harsh winter weather sets in.
The first North Korean troops arrived in the kursk region on Wednesday, and thousands of new soldiers have been arriving every day since. A senior Ukrainian official with knowledge of the troop movements said up to 5,000 North Korean soldiers are expected to be assembled by Monday
According to officials, the troops are part of an elite unit of the Korean People's Army. They are delivered from vladivostok by IL-76 transport planes to a military airfield in western russia and then sent to the combat zone.
According to the Ukrainian official, there have been mixed signals about whether additional North Korean troops will be sent to take part in combat operations on Ukrainian territory. They are currently concentrated only in the kursk region.
Appendix
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky statedthat as early as October 27-28, the first North Korean military will be used by russia in combat operations.
The GUR reported that the number of North Korean military personnel transferred to russia is now about 12,000, among them 500 officers, including three Pyongyang generals.
