Sattelite pictures show North Korean troops on Russian port

Sattelite pictures show North Korean troops on Russian port

hundreds of North Korean soldiers were probably transported across the water to Russia to fight in his war against Ukraine. This emerges from a new analysis of a think tank based in the USA that was shared exclusively with CNN.

transport of North Korean soldiers

At least two Russian ships have probably transported North Korean soldiers to a military port in Dunai, in the far east of Russia, in October and November. This is reported by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California.

monitoring of troop movements

The ship movements were initially identified by the South Korean National Secret Service (NIS), which in a press release last year mentioned that some soldiers were transported across the North Korean port areas of Chongjin, Hamhthung and Musudan. At the time, however, there was only a blurred radar image.

"I don't think the Russians or North Koreans want these transfers to be filmed," Sam Lair, a research employee at the Center for Location Studies, told CNN. "The element of confidentiality is really remarkable."

Confirmation by satellite images

Current research confirm that the Russian ships, which were identified by the secret service, laid out in the port of Dunai during the period of troop movements. In North Korea, the soldiers probably went on board these ships at night, which makes it difficult to record evidence of the transfers. However, satellite images show activities in Dunai, where it seems that the Russians were less careful.

An example shows a crane on satellite images that lead to one of the Russian landing ships that the researchers believe that it is the Nikolay Vilkov, at the port on October 17th. A covered truck is right next to it. The crane seems to be withdrawn by October 20, and the transfer of the soldiers has been completed.

capacity of the landing ships

The researchers were able to identify the Russian "Ropucha" and "Alligator" class ships on the satellite images, since these photos match pictures that were taken by the Japanese Ministry of Defense in March 2022 when the ships drove through Japanese waters. Each landing ship allegedly has the capacity of transporting several hundred soldiers, possibly up to 400.

safety aspects in Dunai

Lair further explained that Dunai is a safe military facility that makes transfers under the radar eases, in contrast to the large, nearby port of Vladiwostok, which is located in a civilian residential area. "This is an isolated place where you can carry out these exchange activities where people do not notice it ... (where) may not notice their own citizens and people from the secret service group," added Lair.

North Korean soldiers in use

CNN asked the Russian Ministry of Defense for a comment.

missions in Kursk

North Korean troops have been stationed in Kursk since the end of October to ward off the Ukrainian push in the southern border region of Russia.

"The Russians seem to be very concerned to minimize the visibility of the North Korean soldiers by bringing them directly to military training facilities. The reason for all the confidentiality around the North Koreans is unclear, but some of them are to help through Dunai," said Lair in his analysis.

transport of military goods

alleged arms deliveries

A report by the British Think Tank The Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies (Rusi) from October 2023 states that "Russia has probably started to send North Korean ammunition to the" inconspicuous marine facility "in Dunai.

experiences in the war

alona Getgranchuk, director of the New Europe Center in Kiev, explained in a forum in South Korea that North Korea gained valuable campaign experiences through its participation in the Ukraine conflict. "It's not just about deliveries of rockets, but about testing their rockets under real combat conditions," said GetManchuk at the forum in the Goethe Institute in Seoul.

She added that North Korea used these experiences to improve his rockets and make them more precise. North Korea's ground troops also get better because they adapt quickly. "They came completely unprepared ... now they learn very quickly," continued GetManchuk.

deeper relationships between North Korea and Russia

lair notes that the relationships between Pyongyang and Moscow have deepened since the beginning of the invasion. "Singing his own soldiers into the conflict of another country really indicates the strength of this connection," he said.

There are indications that Russia and North Korea no longer use the sea route to transport troops. In the meantime, the South Korean secret service has reported that Russian military aircraft often fly between Vladiwostok and Pyongyang.

cnns Brad Lendon contributed to this report.