Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Expert skeptic of information about North Korean soldiers
Joachim Kerpner
Updated 13.01 | Published 12.01
Quick version
- Ukrainian media reports that up to 10,000 North Korean soldiers are already in Russia and are to be sent to Ukraine. One expert is skeptical of the data, given language barriers and equipment compatibility.
- Six North Korean officers are said to have died in a Ukrainian robot attack near Donetsk on October 3. They were there to support Russian forces with the North Korean KN-23 robotic system, according to several media outlets.
- North Korea is reported to be supplying Russia with a large amount of artillery ammunition, but it is plagued by several flaws.
Up to 10,000 North Korean soldiers are already in Russia and are to be sent to Ukraine, according to Ukrainian media.
Jörgen Elfving, former lieutenant colonel in the Swedish Armed Forces, is skeptical:
- There are probably not very many Russian military personnel who speak Korean. It causes problems when giving orders, he says.
On October 3, six North Korean officers are said to have died near occupied Donetsk in a Ukrainian robot attack. They were there to support the Russian troops in the use of the North Korean KN-23 robotic system, according to information in several media.
Since then, reports of North Korean soldiers in the Russian armed forces have increased. On October 10, Britain's The Guardian claimed that "dozens of North Koreans" are in Ukraine to help with the KN-23 system.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Kyiv Post wrote that a battalion of 3,000 North Korean paratroopers is being equipped with weapons and trained in Russia, to be sent to Ukraine.
And in the evening, the Kyiv Independent stated that 10,000 North Korean military personnel had been sent to Russia. The newspaper also reported that 18 North Koreans have deserted from their positions in Russian areas near the Ukrainian border.
Military analyst Ilya Abishev notes in an articel for the BBC Russian Service that North Korea's soldiers lack combat experience, which is not a plus.
Expert: I'm skeptical
Jörgen Elfving, former lieutenant colonel in the Swedish Armed Forces, does not doubt that individual North Korean soldiers may be present in Ukraine, but he doubts that thousands would be sent there:
- I am skeptical about a deployment of 3,000 North Korean soldiers in Ukraine, for several reasons. First, it is a matter of language confusion. Then there is the question of whether the equipment is compatible, for example the management system. If instead Russia is to equip the North Koreans, then they take away their own resources, which are beginning to thin out.
Russian exile Newspaper Verstka states that the North Koreans can be used behind the front, freeing up Russian forces that can be sent forward?
- It is a possible solution, but then they become some form of workforce. And the Russian personnel they replace in that case are likely to belong to maintenance units, which are normally not of the same physical status as air landing units.
How important are the North Korean arms shipments to the Russians in Ukraine?
- The North Korean artillery ammunition is affected by a number of inaccuracies. There will be bursts of fire and it does not have the same range as the Russian ammunition. As for the North Korean robots, some of them have missed the target or failed to arrive or even exploded shortly after being launched.
According to information in several media, half of the artillery ammunition that the Russians are now using in Ukraine comes forna från North Korea?
- Yes, with those volumes, it might matter less that there are defects in the ammunition, says Jörgen Elfving.
Russia and North Korea have recently concluded a security agreement, which stipulates that if one country is attacked by a third party, the other country must send military aid in the form of soldiers and equipment, according to the Kyiv Post.
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