North Korean Troops Face Fire in Ukraine-Russia War

A Kyiv official mentioned that North Korean troops stationed in Russia's Kursk region have faced combat for the first time. Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's counter-disinformation department, shared this news on Monday. The troops' journey from North Korea to Europe's battlefield is shown on a map by Newsweek. The number of North Korean troops in the Russian region is estimated to be between 8, 000 and 12, 000. However, their effectiveness is uncertain. Russia's President Vladimir Putin expects the presence of North Korean troops to limit Washington's support for Ukraine to prevent further escalation. But Kyiv continues to strike Russian troops inside Ukraine, including those in the Kursk region. This suggests that the removal of North Korean forces won't lead to an unusual escalation. South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) tracked North Korean troops traveling to Russia since March 18. By early August, a deputy director from North Korea's munitions department visited a missile launch site near the Russia-Ukraine front. North Korean special forces were also detected being sent to Russia via a Russian Navy transport ship. Satellite images from October 13 show the North Korean port city of Chongjin, where soldiers were transferred to Russia's Vladivostok. Last month, a White House spokesperson confirmed that North Korean troops were transported by ship to eastern Russia. The NIS mentioned that around 1, 500 North Korean special forces were transferred to Vladivostok by Russian naval fleets. These troops were dispersed across various cities for training. In late October, Ukrainian military sources reported that 2, 000 North Korean troops were being transported to western Russia. NATO confirmed their presence on the battlefield a few days later. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said that the North Korean troop presence won't immediately impact Russia's fighting power. He noted that North Korean artillery is what's affecting the Ukrainians the most. Newsweek reached out to the Russian defense ministry for comment but hasn't received a response yet.