What on Earth are North Korean Soldiers Doing in Kursk, Russia?
It’s a baffling image: North Korean soldiers from one of the world’s most secretive regimes stationed thousands of miles away in Russia, right in the middle of its war against Ukraine. The explanation is as strange as the question—an alliance between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un that brings echoes of Cold War politics into the 21st century. This unexpected presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia raises numerous questions about the motives and implications behind this alliance.
The Background of the Unlikely Alliance
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So, what’s the deal? Is this about ideology, strategy, or something more desperate? And how on earth did this unlikely alliance come to pass? That’s a good question given that North Korea isn’t looking to take over Ukraine itself. But the reason stems back to a defensive pact that Putin and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un created back in June 2024.
That pact, which North Korea officially ratified on November 12, 2024, right around the time Putin launched his Kursk counteroffensive, obliges each nation to come to the other’s aid if they come under attack. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s almost exactly the same setup NATO has under Article 5 of its charter. If one NATO country is attacked, all respond as though they were attacked.
The Strategic Move to Kursk
If Russia is attacked, North Korea sends its soldiers to defend its ally. That’s precisely what we’re now seeing in Kursk. Ukraine’s early August invasion was intended to capture territory Ukraine could later use as a bargaining chip against Russia. It would hand Kursk back over to Russia if Putin delivered some (perhaps all) of the territory he’s taken in Ukraine.
While that may still be the case, what’s happened in Kursk also appears to have triggered Russia and North Korea’s well-timed defensive pact. North Koreans are streaming into Russia because Ukraine attacked Kursk. Putin is using that invasion as an excuse to introduce a whole new country to the conflict. And he’s already receiving thousands of North Korean soldiers.
The Numbers: North Korean Troops in Russia
On October 18, 2024, The BBC was among the first to report on the arrival of North Korean soldiers in Russia. It noted that South Korea’s leading spy agency believed that President Kim had sent at least 1,500 troops into Russia. The real number was likely much higher – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s intelligence information suggested around 10,000 North Koreans had arrived.
South Korean media outlets believed the number was even higher than that, with a 12,000 figure being bandied around. It now appears that either Zelensky or the South Korean press were right. The number is at least 10,000 according to The Kyiv Independent, and almost all of them were being sent to a very specific part of Russia. Pentagon spokesperson Vedant Patel offered details.
“Today I can confirm that over 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia, and most of them have moved to the far western Kursk Oblast, where they have begun engaging in combat operations with Russian forces,” he claimed. Patel also noted that the North Koreans were being trained to use Russia’s artillery and unmanned aerial vehicles. They were also learning about trench clearing – a key skill given that the Ukraine war has seen heavy use of trenches in fortifications like those Ukraine has built in Kursk.
The Larger Implications for Ukraine
It all added up to a terrifying prospect for Ukraine. And it only got worse from there. On November 10, 2024, The New York Times revealed that Ukraine had far more to worry about than the 10,000 to 12,000 North Korean soldiers arriving in Russia. Putin had something much bigger planned – a counteroffensive using a combined force of Russian and North Korean soldiers containing as many as 50,000 troops.
Thanks to the inclusion of North Korea, Putin was able to amass this force without having to pull any of his own soldiers out of the ongoing offensives in the Donbas. Russia was now finally ready to fight a war on multiple fronts. One that would allow it to maintain its focus in Ukraine while getting rid of the invaders that had stormed the Kursk oblast.
At least, that’s the narrative Putin and his Kremlin cronies would have you believe. The New York Times predicted on November 10 that the attack of the 50,000 would arrive in the coming days. That prediction turned out to be prophetic. On November 12, 2024, reports emerged that Putin had his 50,000 soldiers into Kursk to take back Russian territory in what was supposed to be a glorious few days for Russia’s leader.
The Collapse of the Counteroffensive
Finally, he could overcome the humiliation that Ukraine’s invasion had caused, winning back the faith of the Russian people in the process. Only, it hasn’t worked out that way. Russia’s Kursk counteroffensive is in the process of crumbling as Ukraine whittles away at the 50,000 soldiers Putin has sent. But let’s backtrack for a moment.
On November 12, the Times of India YouTube channel published a video highlighting the early stages of Putin’s Kursk counteroffensive. It claimed that Ukraine’s army “fretted” as Russia took it by storm with its 50,000 soldiers. The Times of India also confirmed the reports that North Korean soldiers were part of the 50,000 while adding that Zelensky believes the number to be accurate.
All of these claims were accompanied by footage showing explosions and strikes against what appear to be Ukrainian vehicles and positions. It didn’t paint a good picture of Ukraine’s prospects. Still, there was an interesting claim within the video. Zelensky, in a post on Telegram following a briefing from General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, stated that Ukrainian troops “continue to hold back” the nearly 50,000-strong enemy group in Kursk. Russia hadn’t won.
And it certainly hadn’t succeeded in decimating Ukraine’s troops in Kursk as Putin would have hoped. Instead, the counteroffensive saw Russia’s leader rely on the same wave-based attacks he’s used so often inside Ukraine. Battalions were sent toward Ukraine’s positions, followed by more, and then yet more, as Putin began feeding his soldiers into a brand-new meat grinder.
The Tactical Failures of Russia
But there was a problem for Russia’s leader. Ukraine understands exactly how Putin operates at this point. These wave-based assaults are nothing new, and Ukraine also saw that a fifth of the 50,000 were North Koreans who had received less than a month’s training – if that – in using Russian weapons.
The counteroffensive sounded far more impressive on paper than it would be in reality. Ukraine would soon set about proving that fact. Russia’s initial offensive collapsed spectacularly. The first signs of this collapse appeared on the social media platform Reddit. A user by the name of Capable-Law7184 shared an article published by The Kyiv Post claiming that the first assault on Kursk had become a “Black Day for Russia.” Further examination of the article reveals more details.
The Kyiv Post claims that Russia began a powerful offensive on November 12, sending an entire battalion to attack the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade in Kursk. The brigade’s press officer Anastasia Blyshchyk says things went very poorly for Putin and his ramshackle assembly of soldiers and armored vehicles.
“Yesterday was truly a black day for the Russian occupiers who tried to storm in five to six waves,” claimed Blyshchyk. “The Russians tried to attack with vehicles, with paratroopers, and storm Ukrainian settlements,” the press officer added before confirming Ukraine had destroyed 10 units of armored vehicles. Ukraine made clever use of its weapons to destroy the Russian battalion.
Laying mines in strategic locations allowed it to take out at least a trio of armored transporters, with first-person visual drones wreaking havoc on the rest of Russia’s equipment. Stugna anti-tank systems also allowed Ukraine to destroy the larger vehicles in Russia’s initial fleet.
And it wasn’t just the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade getting involved in the fighting. As Blyshchyk revealed, “Other armored vehicles were destroyed by our adjacent units…A group of invaders was also liquidated, and those who survived scattered through the fields.” “Liquidated” is a terrifying term. But it appears accurate.
The Wider Impact on the War Effort
Bild analyst Julian Ropke reveals that this initial counteroffensive in Kursk actually went on for three days, starting on November 9. During that time, Ropke claims Ukraine wiped out 28 armored vehicle units and a staggering 200 soldiers, who were either killed or wounded by Ukraine’s drones and explosives. Ropke didn’t mince words about what this means, calling it “a catastrophe for Putin and his generals.”
Putin had sent his first joint contingent of Russian and North Korean soldiers into Kursk. That battalion contained just a few hundred of the 50,000 he had lying in wait. But it was destroyed – Ukraine eliminated those first few waves in a matter of days while barely taking any casualties on its own side.
It’s a story that has repeated itself so many times during the Ukraine war. Putin has the numbers. But his tactical inept
itude ensures the Ukrainian forces always manage to make mince meat of whatever he sends at them. As of now, that first counteroffensive has ground to a halt. Putin is sending more soldiers, and Ukraine keeps knocking them back.
The Endgame for North Korea
How long can he keep this up? The answer may lie in the last two weeks of updates from Ukraine. On November 13, following the destruction of the first few waves of Russia’s 50,000-strong force, Volodymyr Zelensky commented that Russian troops had “limited success” in Kursk. But the leader also claimed the arrival of more Russian troops was going to result in “increased losses” as the fighting continued. He noted that Ukraine’s forces had “worn out the enemy” and their initial momentum had been stopped.
Perhaps more importantly, though, Ukraine has an ace up its sleeve. Ukrainian military journalist Yuriy Butusov believes that Ukraine has created a huge gap in the middle of the 50,000-strong force, which can be exploited to allow Ukraine to attack Russian positions from the rear.
Putin is being surrounded in Kursk. And the leader seems to know it. What’s coming next? Will Putin keep sending his Russian soldiers into Ukraine’s meat grinder, or does he have another tactic in mind? That remains to be seen. But we do know one thing – whatever happens next is going to be decisive.
That’s because North Korea doesn’t have many soldiers left to send. Their numbers are already low, to begin with, and they certainly can’t afford to send more than the 10,000+ they’ve already sent to Russia. If Putin keeps up his wave attacks, he’s not going to get any more North Korean support. Which means he’ll have to come up with something else to save himself from the worst humiliation of his reign.
FAQs
Q: Why are North Korean soldiers in Russia?
A: North Korean soldiers are in Russia due to a defensive pact signed between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un. The agreement, ratified by North Korea in June 2024, stipulates that both nations will support each other if attacked. Following Ukraine’s invasion of the Kursk oblast, North Korea sent soldiers to aid Russia under this pact.
Q: How many North Korean soldiers are in Russia?
A: Reports indicate that at least 10,000 to 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia, with the majority stationed in the Kursk oblast. This number is part of a larger combined force of approximately 50,000 troops involved in Russia’s counteroffensive.
Q: What is the purpose of the North Korean soldiers in Russia?
A: North Korean soldiers are in Russia to support the Russian military in defending against Ukraine’s invasion of the Kursk oblast. They are being trained to use Russian artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other military equipment to bolster Russia’s counteroffensive efforts.
Q: How has the presence of North Korean soldiers impacted the conflict?
A: The presence of North Korean soldiers has allowed Russia to amass a larger force without withdrawing troops from other fronts. However, despite the increased numbers, Ukraine has successfully repelled initial assaults, causing significant casualties and equipment losses for the Russian-North Korean contingent.
Q: What are the implications of the North Korean involvement for Ukraine?
A: North Korean involvement complicates the conflict for Ukraine by adding a new dimension to the war. However, Ukraine has managed to withstand the initial counteroffensive and inflicted heavy losses on the combined Russian-North Korean forces. The long-term implications depend on how effectively Ukraine can continue to resist and counter these new troops.
Q: What tactics have Ukraine used against the combined Russian-North Korean forces?
A: Ukraine has employed a variety of tactics, including laying mines, using first-person visual drones, and deploying Stugna anti-tank systems to destroy Russian and North Korean armored vehicles. These tactics have been effective in neutralizing the initial waves of the counteroffensive.
Q: Is there a risk of further escalation in the conflict due to North Korean involvement?
A: The involvement of North Korean soldiers adds a new layer of complexity and risk to the conflict. It signifies a broader alliance that could potentially escalate tensions. However, the outcome will largely depend on how the situation in Kursk develops and whether other nations decide to intervene or offer support.
Q: How is the international community reacting to North Korean soldiers in Russia?
A: The international community has expressed concern over the involvement of North Korean soldiers in Russia. This development has been viewed as a significant escalation and a troubling sign of deepening alliances between authoritarian regimes. Reactions include calls for diplomatic resolutions and increased sanctions on North Korea and Russia.
Q: What does this mean for the future of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine?
A: The future of the conflict remains uncertain. The introduction of North Korean soldiers adds a new variable, but Ukraine’s successful defense against the initial counteroffensive shows its resilience. The conflict could see further escalation or potential breakthroughs in negotiations, depending on subsequent developments and international responses.
Q: How can I stay updated on the situation in Kursk and the involvement of North Korean soldiers?
A: To stay updated, follow reputable news sources, official government statements, and updates from international organizations monitoring the conflict. Websites like The Kyiv Independent, The New York Times, BBC, and others provide regular coverage and analysis of the ongoing situation.
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