North Korean troops near the Ukrainian border discovered

North Korean troops near the Ukrainian border discovered

A group of North Korean soldiers was spotted in the Russian region of Kursk, where military operations are currently taking place. This was announced by the Ukraine military secret service on Thursday.

Latest developments in the Kursk region

After their training in the Russian Far East, some troops have now found their way to the western region of Russia, in which Ukraine has held a strong position since the offensive in August. The Ukraine secret service announced in a contribution on its official Telegram channel that the soldiers were spotted in Kursk on Wednesday.

troop strength and training locations

According to the secret service, a total of around 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia and receive five military training areas in the east training. This is followed by the geolocalized reporting by CNN, which exposed videos on social media, show troops on the training grounds of Sergeevka near the Russian border with China.

U.S. Secret service information and Ukrainian reactions

The number of 12,000 soldiers is higher than before. On Wednesday, the spokesman for the United States National Security Council, John Kirby, informed the press that at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers had arrived in eastern Russia this month. On Tuesday, President Wolodymyr Selenskyj said that Ukraine had secret service information, according to which "two military units from North Korea are trained", possibly "two brigades with 6,000 people".

coordination of the North Korean troops

The Ukrainian secret services reported on Thursday that “several weeks” are intended for the coordination of the North Korean troops, which include 500 officers and three generals.

Russia's contact with North Korea

Ukraine has repeatedly warned that the growing relationships between Russia and North Korea could possibly lead to Pyongyang playing a more direct role in the war in Ukraine. Russia's President Vladimir Putin left no doubt when he answered on Thursday at a press conference at the BRICS summit when asked whether Russia was in contact with North Korea: "We never doubt that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously."

training and equipment of the soldiers

Putin pointed out: "What and how we do it is our business." The deputy minister of defense Russia, Yunus-Bek Yevurov, was commissioned to monitor the training of the troops, as the Ukrainian secret service reported. CNN had previously reported on North Korean recruits that were filmed on a training area in the Far East of Russia when the equipment and uniforms arrive.

It is assumed that the soldiers received ammunition, bed linen, winter clothing and shoes as well as hygiene products from the Russian authorities, the Ukrainian secret service said.