North Korea has officially confirmed for the first time that it has sent its troops to fight against Ukraine for Russia.
According to the State News Agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (KCNA), the Pyongyang army, on the orders of leader Kim Jong Un, assisted Russian forces in the "complete liberation" of the Kursk border area.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg25wxvpy2o
Pyongyang's statement came a few days after the head of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, praised the "heroism" of North Korean soldiers. This is the first open confirmation of their participation by Moscow.
Western officials previously told the BBC that at least 1,000 of the 11,000 soldiers sent from North Korea died within three months.
Gerasimov also claimed that Moscow had regained full control over the Kursk region in the western part of the country, but this information was denied by Ukraine.
According to US officials, North Korea must now take responsibility for continuing the war.
South Korean and Western intelligence agencies reported several months ago that Pyongyang had sent thousands of troops to Kursk last year. KCNA emphasized that the decision to send troops was made in accordance with the mutual defense agreement between Pyongyang and Moscow.
"Every soldier who fights for justice is a hero and a representative of the honor of his homeland," Kim Jong Un said, according to KCNA.
It was also noted that North Korea and Russia demonstrated "alliance and brotherhood" in Kursk, and "friendship, strengthened by blood," will make a great contribution to the expansion of comprehensive relations.
According to KCNA, Pyongyang is ready to continue supporting the Russian army in the future.
In addition, KCNA did not provide information on what fate awaits North Korean soldiers after the completion of the mission in Kursk and whether they will return to their homeland.
Reports of North Korean soldiers participating in the war alongside Russia first circulated last October. However, the Russian side, as always, denied this. This happened after the further strengthening of relations between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. At that time, the two leaders signed an agreement on "supporting each other in the event of threats."
Military experts emphasize that although the soldiers sent from North Korea are mainly from "elite" units called the "Storm Corps," they are not ready for the requirements of modern warfare.
"These soldiers are not sufficiently trained and do not understand the orders of the Russian officers who command them," said Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former tank commander of the British Army, at the beginning of the year.
Nevertheless, the commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Alexander Syrsky, previously noted that North Korean soldiers are creating a serious problem for Ukrainian fighters at the front.
"There are a lot of them. They have about 11-12 thousand highly motivated and trained soldiers. They are implementing offensive tactics and are acting mainly in the style of the Soviet era. They rely on their numerical majority," the general said in an interview with the Ukrainian TV channel TSN Tyzhden.
Abdullah Sayyid
