North Korea is set to ship off 30,000 more troops to help Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, tripling the number of soldiers it has given Moscow, Kyiv’s intelligence network warned.
After sending nearly 12,000 soldiers to help Russia regain the Kursk region earlier this year, Pyongyang is planning to bolster its presence along the frontlines in the coming months to enable “large-scale offensive operations,” CNN reported.
The Russian Ministry of Defense allegedly touted that it is fully capable of providing training and the “needed equipment, weapons and ammunition” to get the Pyongyang soldiers to the frontlines as quickly as possible, according to Ukraine’s assessment.
The warning coincides with the arrival of a large ship and cargo aircraft at North Korea’s Sunan airport, both of which are linked to last year’s deployment of troops to Russia, according to CNN.
The assessment and report mirrors South Korea’s warning last week that Pyongyang was primed to deploy additional troops and weapons to Russia in July or August.
Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Russia was prepping for a large-scale assault against Ukraine within the next two months, with Moscow set to use thousands of North Korean fighters to make it possible.
It matches warnings for independent analysts and experts who have warned that summer would mark a new push for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after months of stagnation.
The assault may come near the Sumy region, where Ukraine’s counter-invasion headquarters were based during the takeover of Kursk last summer.
Ukraine’s top military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi revealed last week that Moscow was amassing about 50,000 troops along the border with Sumy, where Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed plans to establish a security buffer zone.
The Russian strongman used similar wording when preparing his initial invasion force in 2022.
Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post’s signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here!
About 600 Pyongyang soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting against Kyiv after Kim deployed some 12,000 soldiers to help Russia regain control of the Kursk region, according to Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence.
While both Russia and North Korea had initially shied away from discussing the presence of Pyongyang troops in Ukraine, they have since celebrated it as a sign of growing military cooperation between the two nations.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public acknowledgment of the pact during a Monday broadcast on state media, which showed him paying a rare public tribute to the fallen soldiers.
