"Expected Deployment of 15,000 Personnel Monthly Until May"
Unilateral Report by Russia... Verification Pending
Russian media reported that North Korea plans to dispatch volunteer troops in May to support Russia. However, the authenticity of this claim has not yet been confirmed.
On the 30th (local time), the Russian internet media outlet 'Russkaya Vesna (Russian Spring)' cited a Ukrainian propaganda channel and reported that North Korean volunteer units will be deployed to Russia's 'special military operation' area by the end of May. The term 'special military operation' is used by Russia instead of calling the invasion of Ukraine a 'war.'
Children are climbing on a destroyed Russian tank in front of St. Michael's Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The media predicted that North Korea would arrive on the Ukrainian battlefield equipped with its own weapons and ammunition, and reported that Russia is currently looking for officers who can speak Korean.
An anonymous officer from the Russian General Staff said, "North Korean troops numbering 10,000 to 15,000 could be deployed each month," adding, "Russian infantry will be withdrawn from attack missions to train the North Korean troops."
He added, "Theoretically, North Korean troops are better prepared than us to conduct combat without using modern technology as we are currently fighting," and said, "It is doubtful whether they (North Korean volunteers) will achieve groundbreaking results, but they will make Ukrainians bleed."
Earlier, it was reported that Russia is facing shortages not only in military equipment but also in troops to be deployed on the battlefield in the prolonged war with Ukraine. Regarding this, Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's Minister of Defense, said, "The Russian army says it is short of ammunition and is losing at least 500 soldiers daily."
However, the fact of North Korean troops being dispatched to Ukraine has not yet been confirmed. Other major media outlets, including Russian state news agencies, have not reported related news, and Russian authorities have not issued any comments on the matter.
Last year, rumors also surfaced about North Korean troops being deployed to war
North Korea's Korean Central Television released footage on the 17th of the launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) conducted by the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party at Pyongyang International Airport on the 16th. The photo shows Kim Jong Un with his daughter Kim Ju Ae, Jo Yong Won, Secretary of the Party Central Committee Organization, Ri Il Hwan, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, and Kim Yo Jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party. [Photo by Korean Central Television]
This is not the first time rumors have circulated about North Korean troops being deployed to the Ukraine war. In August last year, Igor Korotchenko, a Russian defense expert, appeared on a state TV channel and said, "100,000 North Korean volunteers are ready to participate in the conflict." He added, "If North Korea expresses its willingness to fulfill its international duty to fight against Ukrainian fascism, Russia should allow it."
However, shortly after the report, Ivan Nechayev, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, refuted the claim, saying, "The report is false from beginning to end," and "No such negotiations with North Korea have taken place."
Also, former U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency officer Rebecca Kofler said that North Korean troops' participation is implausible regardless of its truth.
She cited reasons for this judgment, including that ▲ Russia and North Korea have not conducted joint military exercises, ▲ North Korean troops have not engaged in combat in real battles for several decades, ▲ North Korean troops do not use the Russian language, and ▲ North Korean troops are unfamiliar with Russian weapon systems.
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