North Korea could deploy up to 100,000 soldiers to help the Kremlin with its war in Ukraine — a figure that could boost Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fighting force in Ukraine by up to 20%, according to a new report.
As the relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang continues to evolve, an analysis by G-20 nations suggests Kim Jong Un is prepared to flood Russia with enough manpower to decimate Ukraine’s troops, sources familiar with the assessment told Bloomberg.
The deployments would greatly bolster the Kremlin’s forces, which was estimated at 470,000 active troops at the start of 2024, according to London’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
The additional troops would fill in the gaps from one of the bloodiest years in the conflict, with western officials estimating that about 700,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded since the war began in February 2022.
Ukraine, which boasted that it killed an average of 1,500 Moscow troops a day last month, has also suffered heavy losses in the war, with an estimated 80,000 troops killed and another 400,000 injured as of September.
In March, Ukraine’s forces stood at an estimated 330,000, with Kyiv struggling to build up its numbers as Russia continues to make steady advancements along the frontlines, the Financial Times reported.
As Kyiv’s forces dwindle, a sudden surge in Russia’s fighting power could tip the scales further along the eastern front.
The incoming North Korean troops are expected to be shipped out in batches and rotate with the more than 10,000 Pyongyang soldiers already being deployed along the eastern front, the sources told Bloomberg.
Kyiv and South Korean intelligence claim the North Korean soldiers already in Russia have spent a brief time training in modern warfare before being deployed to the Kursk region to help retake the territory lost following Ukraine’s surprise counter-invasion over the summer.
Moscow has reportedly amassed some 50,000 Russian and North Korean soldiers in the region to push Ukraine’s army out of the region.
The issue will likely be the main talking point at the upcoming G-20 Summit in Brazil following German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Friday phone call with Putin, in which he slammed the deployment of North Korean troops as a “grave escalation” in Ukraine.
Scholz is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G-20 Summit, as the CCP leader has remained silent about the issue.
The presence of North Korean troops in Russia remains an awkward problem for Xi as it both helps China push against the West while also risks adding financial pressure on Beijing.
Along with manpower, North Korea has also sent hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition and weapons to Russia as part of their evolving military partnership.
North Korea and Russia have recently ratified a comprehensive strategic partnership that Kim and Putin signed in June, which includes a mutual defense pact.
South Korea has warned that in return for supplying mass troops and weapons, Putin would reward Kim with key knowledge to improve Pyongyang’s nuclear program and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
