North Korea will send up to 30,000 additional soldiers to the frontlines in the Ukraine-Russia War, according to a CNN report on Wednesday.
These troops may arrive in Russia in stages by November, “to strengthen the Russian contingent, including during large-scale offensive operations,” a Ukrainian intelligence document seen by CNN stated.
Additionally, satellite imagery obtained by CNN indicated signs of Russia’s preparations. Ships previously used for North Korean deployments were seen in Russian ports, and flight patterns of cargo planes revealed that routes bringing soldiers to Russia were active.
North Korea had sent 11,000 troops to the frontlines last fall. Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed their presence in April, after previously refusing to comment on multiple international and Ukrainian reports regarding North Korean soldiers falling in battle.
This development follows the United States halting shipments of air defense missiles to Ukraine amid a growing Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry, however, stated that it had not received official notifications about the suspension and insisted that deliveries were ongoing.
On Wednesday, a Ukrainian military official said that Russia had made incursions near two towns critical to army supply routes in the east.
Russia pushes for offensive in Ukraine
While Russia's front-line advances are continuing, there has been an intensification of drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other cities. These actions follow multiple indications that Washington’s support for Ukraine’s war effort may be waning.
In recent weeks, despite heavy losses, Russia has advanced in rural areas on both sides of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, which sit on crossroads running to the frontline from larger cities in Ukrainian-controlled territory.
The Russian offensive aims to occupy the remaining portion of the Donetsk region. Currently, Russia is using small assault groups, light vehicles, and drones to push towards the neighboring region, said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces.
"There are constant attacks with the intent of breaking through" to the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region at any cost, Trehubov said in written comments to Reuters.
According to Ukraine's top armed forces commander Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Russia now has 111,000 soldiers in the Pokrovsk area, which it has been attempting to seize since early last year. Syrskyi described dozens of battles occurring there daily.
A CNN analyst suggested that while the number of North Korean troops could be closer to half of what Ukrainian intelligence indicated, it was not an impossible figure. “They can certainly come up with that number,” said Jenny Town, senior fellow and director of the Korean program at the Stimson Center. "They won’t be elite soldiers. Kim Jong Un has said he is all in, so it depends on what Russia has asked for."
She also noted that there were “rumors that Russian generals have been inside North Korea training troops there already.”
On June 17, former Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang to meet with senior North Korean officials, including Pak Jong-Chon, the chairman of the country's army. It was his second trip in two weeks, according to TASS. Shoigu also announced that North Korea would send over 6,000 personnel to clear mines and "restore infrastructure" in the Kursk region.
A decision by Washington to halt deliveries of various weapons, including precision rocket artillery to Kyiv, is expected to worsen the situation for Ukraine’s forces, said Jack Watling, a senior researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a think tank.
"The loss of these supplies will significantly degrade Ukraine's ability to strike Russian forces beyond 30 km (19 miles) from the front line, which will allow Russia to improve its logistics," Watling said.