By tf-lawyer.com In a recent report by The New York Times, a Ukrainian official and two U.S. officials revealed that thousands of North Korean troops have arrived in Russia’s Kursk region, ostensibly to participate in an upcoming offensive aimed at pushing back Ukrainian forces.
These officials noted that the North Korean military, known as the People’s Army, has not yet engaged in combat and their specific role remains uncertain. They indicated that any significant deployment of North Korean forces would allow Russia to maintain a stronger presence in eastern Ukraine and shift its focus toward occupying more Ukrainian territory before the harsh winter arrives.
In recent weeks, both the South Korean and Ukrainian governments have raised alarms about thousands of North Koreans training alongside Russian troops, with Ukrainian estimates suggesting numbers as high as 12,000. U.S. officials have confirmed that a contingent of North Korean soldiers has been transported by ship to Vladivostok, with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin describing this development as a “very, very serious escalation.”
According to the New York Times report, the first wave of North Korean troops arrived in Kursk on the 23rd after a journey of nearly 6,400 kilometers, with additional troops arriving daily. A senior Ukrainian official indicated that by the 28th, as many as 5,000 North Korean soldiers are expected to be assembled.
These troops are reportedly part of elite units within the North Korean military. Ukrainian officials stated that they are flying to a military airfield in western Russia aboard large Il-76 transport aircraft before being transported to the combat zone. There are varying signals regarding whether additional North Korean forces will deploy into Ukrainian territory; for now, the focus is solely on the Kursk area.
The Times also noted that, should the North Korean military enter the fray, it remains uncertain how the battlefield dynamics might shift. The North Korean military has not participated in any conflicts since the 1950s, raising questions about the effectiveness of its elite units. Before engaging, these troops will have to contend with language barriers, unfamiliar terrain, and potentially very different military customs. Facing seasoned Ukrainian forces at the Kursk front, who have been difficult for the Russian military to dislodge, would only complicate matters further.
Finnish military analyst Emil Kastehelmi commented on social media platform X, stating, “If they ultimately reach the front lines, I don’t expect them to be a highly effective fighting force,” but he suggested that this might not be the primary concern. “The point is that someone needs to die on the battlefield, and from the Russian perspective, if that ‘someone’ is not Russian, then that’s certainly preferable.”
