#North Korean troops in Russia

[latestnews-now]

The Biden administration is pushing Ukraine to lower its conscription age to 18, urging the country to dramatically expand its military ranks to combat the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. With the war nearing its third year, Ukraine faces a serious manpower shortage despite significant U.S. military aid. In this video, we explore the latest developments as the U.S. and European allies press Ukraine to increase its troop numbers. Will lowering the draft age be enough to turn the tide against Russia? Join us as we break down the implications of this significant shift in Ukraine’s military strategy. Stay informed on the latest updates and subscribe for more insights on the Russia-Ukraine war.

[tomorrowusa]

Putin is trying to pass off North Korean troops fighting in the Russian army as members of the Buryat ethnic group in Siberia.

It's already suspected that Putin is giving North Korea missile technology in return for ammunition and other military supplies. Apparently troops from North Korea are also part of the deal. Unfortunately for Putin, they seem to be as useless as his own troops.

The Suspiline report citing Ukrainian intelligence sources says that 18 North Korean soldiers fled their positions somewhere on the border between the Bryansk and Kursk regions of Russia, just 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) from the state border with Ukraine. The source said the reason for them absenting themselves is not known but it said Russian forces were currently hunting them while the commanders in the area were trying to cover up the incident and to hide it from higher command. The incident comes just a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward a request to ratify the treaty for a “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the Russian Federation and North Korea, which had been signed on June 19 during Putin’s visit to the DPRK.

Claiming that North Koreans are actually Buryats is quite a stretch. Buryats have a generally East Asian appearance which might fool people in Europe. But once they speak or write, the similarity disappears.

Buryat is related to Mongolian and uses the Cyrillic alphabet. Korean is rather unique and uses its own homegrown phonetic script. They don't sound or look anything alike.

The report of these soldiers being absent without leave (AWOL) also coincided with other intelligence reports that up to 3,000 North Korean combat troops were being trained to form a “special Buryat battalion” at the base of the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the Russian army at Sosnovy Bor near Ulan Ude in Buryatia. The reports say the unit is currently being provided with weapons and equipment. A Ukrainian milblogger, Igor Sushko, said on X / Twitter on Tuesday that the North Korean troops were being issued with Russian military identity cards identifying them as Buryats. The Buryatia Republic is situated in eastern Siberia, where its indigenous people have an Asian appearance. Andrei Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering  Disinformation, commented that integrating North Korean military personnel into Russian forces was likely to be complicated by the language barrier: “Less than 1% of the cadre officers in the North Korean army are proficient in Russian. Understanding this is crucial for examining the potential future involvement of these troops with the Russian armed forces. “Although Russia might utilize North Korean soldiers initially in the Kursk region, there’s a possibility that several tens of thousands could eventually be deployed to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories alongside Buryat counterparts,” Kovalenko added.

It would be interesting to hear how the Buryats and North Koreans are getting along in Russia. The Buryats have every right to resent that Putin is trying to pass off North Koreans as Buryats.

The attempt to include North Korean troops with the Russian forces in the Ukraine invasion is another indication that Russia is getting short of troops.

New York Magazine recently featured a lengthy interview with Michael Kofman of the Carnegie Institute called Ukraine War: Why Russia is in More Trouble Than It Looks.

A relevant excerpt...

Russia’s advantage has been the ability to withstand very high levels of attrition because of the materiel and manpower resources they have, and also their significant capacity for mobilization of resources on a national scale — that is, defense industrial production, manpower recruitment, and the like. But Russia’s actually operating under very significant constraints. And if anything, its advantage on the battlefield is likely to decline as we get into this winter and look further ahead into 2025. First, in terms of equipment, the Russian military has been sustaining very high levels of loss that are principally being replaced by Soviet-era stocks — not entirely, but at this stage, Russia is eating through its Soviet legacy, and its rate of equipment production is quite low relative to the numbers being lost on the battlefield. This doesn’t mean that Russia is going to run out of armored fighting vehicles. What it does mean is that the Russian military has increasingly been forced to adjust tactics to minimize their losses, and that also reduces their ability to achieve any operationally meaningful breakthroughs. When you look at manpower, the Russian government has significantly increased the payouts and benefits to recruit personnel. The reason for that is straightforward. It’s clear that at this rate of loss, the Russian contract recruitment campaign is unable to keep up. This too does not mean that Russia is going to run out of manpower, but it’s clear that they’re struggling, and they are not likely to be able to sustain this pace of operations, staying on the offensive with this rate of loss.

Russia has apparently already been trying to recruit mercenaries in Syria and possibly even Africa. The quality of foreign troops in Russia has been rather uneven. That 18 North Korean troops have gone AWOL and may be trying to escape to Ukraine is an indication that importing fighters from abroad is not going well for Putin.

[trendynewsnow]

Russia-North Korea Military Cooperation: Antiaircraft Missiles and Troop Deployment

Military Cooperation Between Russia and North Korea Recent reports have revealed that Russia has supplied North Korea with advanced antiaircraft missiles in exchange for the deployment of North Korean troops to participate in Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This significant military cooperation was highlighted by South Korea’s national security adviser, who provided insights during a recent…

[paknewsinsightspk]

South Korean intelligence says North has sent troops to aid Russia's war in Ukraine

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s spy agency said Friday that North Korea has dispatched troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. If confirmed, the move would bring a third country into the war and intensify a standoff between North Korea and the West. The South Korean announcement came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government has intelligence that…

[timothy-barton87]

Yeah, we know, great mother Russia is winning again, that's why they need Iran and North Korea to supply them in a war against one of the poorest countries in Europe, because the West sending 50 tanks a year means the mighty Russian army bogged down in the southeast, and it took 2.5 years to get 80 km closer to Kyiv, only 1000 km more to go. When the Soviet Union fought Nazi Germany, the USA manufactured 50% of the Soviet ammo, they donated tanks, artillery, airplanes, entire factories in the USA were packed up and their equipment was transferred to the Soviet Union. Soviet troops were supported heavily by the USA and the UK, it was the largest military aid of human history. And the chief reason of the huge Soviet casualties in WW2 and the huge Russian casualties the Putin-dickriders delusionally deny in Ukraine because the Russians wage ware by sending massive numbers of poorly equipped and trained people, supported by massive number of semi-decent artillery and tanks to run people over by the sheer numbers, and that produces mass casualties, even if you win. They were fighting like that long before even WWI, the Tzars were sending people into the grinder, just like Stalin, just like Putin. Putin's army is supported by Iran and North Korea, not the UK and the USA like Stalin's, and now he's in need of North Korean troops.

Mene mene tekel upharsin. … Part 3

Mene mene tekel upharsin. … Part 3

As it has turned out (and contrary to the fantastical western narratives of Russian humiliation and massive losses), the Russians have prosecuted a remarkably economical destruction of not one, but five successive iterations of increasingly NATO-armed and NATO-trained armies.

And they have done so while assembling, equipping, and thoroughly training a reserve army twice the size of the one they have used to methodically wreck the armies arrayed against them in Ukraine.

They have achieved the greatest industrial mobilization since the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Their massive increases in production of the implements of industrial-scale warfare dwarves the combined capabilities of their adversaries.

To Be continued.....

[argumate]

incredible

[dostoyevsky-official]

North Korean troops have arrived in Russia to fight Ukraine, says Seoul

South Korea’s intelligence agency said on Friday that North Korea had dispatched troops to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine, a development that could intensify the standoff between North Korea and the west. [...] The statement was the most comprehensive official report to date detailing North Korean involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine. If proved accurate, it would amount to North Korea’s first major participation in a foreign war. Additionally, South Korean media said on Friday, citing anonymous sources, that Pyongyang had decided to dispatch a total of 12,000 troops, formed into four brigades, to Russia. The NIS did not immediately confirm these reports. The statements come a day after Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said his country had intelligence reports that 10,000 North Korean soldiers were preparing to enter the war. “This is the first step to a world war,” he told reporters in Brussels.

[dontforgetukraine]

About North Korean Troops Fighting For Moscow

"Technically, Russia is fighting at the expense of its allies: Chinese drones, Iranian missiles and Shahed (drones), Chinese armored cars, North Korean missiles, ammunition… And now soldiers. This speaks to the ridiculous problem that the 'second most powerful army in the world' cannot defeat Ukraine, which is weak on its own and which the West is afraid to help appropriately, so it is sitting on scraps. But this also speaks to another terrible problem. The 'second most powerful army in the world' is not just pulling what resources it can from its allies, no. It is beginning to fight in a coalition format. The West is providing little help and reacts sluggishly to the growing scale of the mess. Recent statistics showed that the average age of contract soldiers in the Russian army has reached 50 years. It was also said somewhere that the wounded were sent into battle. I believe the former and would like to believe the latter, but there is no evidence. Sign-up bonuses for joining the Russian army have increased dramatically over this year. This suggests they need to motivate people to join the army to avoid a general mobilization. Many 'experts' bets are in jeopardy because many said Russia would soon run out of steam. But they have found another million-dollar secret place to draw meat from. This is scary. With another 10,000 more troops, Russia can at least not slow down much, and at most can receive a third of the personnel it needs every month. This is tangible." —Mykyta, a medic with the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade

Source: ‘Russia has problems’ – We asked 5 Ukrainian soldiers about North Korean troops fighting for Moscow

[uss-edsall]

America: "we don't want the war to expand beyond Ukraine and Russia" (ignores Belarusian, Iranian and North Korean efforts to supply Russia including troops and ballistic missiles, doesn’t allow Ukraine the ability to actually fight back in a way that matters) The war: expands into the fractious and nuclear armed affairs of North and South Korea America:

[politicalfeed]

Just in: United States declares it will hold Russia accountable for escalating the war in Ukraine by deploying North Korean troops to the front lines.

[mariacallous]

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s looming return to office is causing sleepless nights in Europe. Diplomats expect Trump 2.0 will cause more headaches because the world is less stable today than it was in 2017.

Chief among their fears is the growing partnership between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. “Trump is getting one global theater. And everything our adversaries are doing right now seems connected,” a Western security official said, on the condition of anonymity.

It’s unclear if Trump—not shy about his domestic agenda coming first—understands exactly what the prospect of an alliance between four nuclear powers whose leaders hate the United States means.

“These are four countries who are already working together against American interests,” said Brett Bruen, former White House global engagement director. “North Korea is helping Russia invade Ukraine. Iran’s proxies are attacking ships in the Red Sea. China is buying Iranian oil. It all fits and could get worse if Trump becomes more isolationist.”

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s decision to aid Russia by sending troops to Ukraine is the most surprising and ostentatious example of how the axis of autocracies might continue to grow.

The benefits to the Kremlin are obvious: Russia has suffered heavy losses since the start of the war, and North Korea is willing to help plug that gap by sending its own men to near-certain death.

What’s in it for Pyongyang is less clear. “There is significant risk of North Korean soldiers defecting as soon as they arrive in Ukraine—something the South Koreans are preparing for,” said John Everard, the former U.K. ambassador to North Korea. “Defections from his elite special forces would embarrass Kim. It would also be a major embarrassment if his troops turn out to be useless. It could damage his reputation as a man to be truly feared.”

However, Everard also said that Kim needs a backup plan. “North Korea has been almost solely reliant on China for a long time, and China has been signaling its displeasure at Kim’s new relationship with Russia,” Everard said. “Meanwhile, we don’t know what Kim is getting in return for sending troops to Russia. Perhaps he wants help developing new nuclear weapons and missile technology, or perhaps he has been forced to agree to send troops because, now that his stockpiles are exhausted, he can no longer meet Russian demands for munitions.”

NATO officials fear a global escalation of the European conflict. If North Korea continues to support Russia, does South Korea support Ukraine by sending missiles? Might Ukraine strike North Korean targets? And if it did, would North Korea demand China makes good on treaty commitments to protect North Korea? While alliance sources say that is “close to China’s worst nightmare,” it’s being seriously considered.

Anything that eases Russia’s burden in Ukraine gives Russian President Vladimir Putin room for his long-term objective: weakening the West and expanding Russian influence. Europe will continue as his primary target.

“The Kremlin and its proxies have attempted to influence multiple elections in Europe with the specific aim of installing pro-Russian politicians or governments across the continent,” said Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House.

Whether it’s claims that the United States sees Europe as a colony via NATO or that Ukrainian neo-Nazis are offering human sacrifices to pagan gods, there are thousands of examples of Kremlin proxies seeking to coerce Europeans into hating Putin’s enemies. This type of activity often peaks during elections and has helped Kremlin stooges, such as Irakli Kobakhidze in Georgia, win elections or grow in strength across Europe.

Obviously, anti-West and anti-NATO sentiment is a danger in Europe itself, but it also has consequences for Americans. “The United States benefits when Europe’s economy thrives. It benefits from a strong Europe standing up for U.S. interests further afield, especially in Asia. There is no benefit to the United States if Europe becomes a Putin playground,” Giles said.

For Iran, the new axis of autocracies provides answers to some existential questions. Bluntly, Iran needs allies, and its relations with the other three are largely transactional.

“Iran plays different roles for each of these actors: To Russia, it’s a military partner and potential thorn in the side of the United States. To China, Iran is key to energy security and specifically the security of oil shipments from the Gulf,” said Mohammad Ali Shabani, editor of Amwaj.media, a website that publishes analysis on the Middle East.

Iran, a country with multiple regional enemies—chiefly Israel—might seek increased military support later. This could be of concern to the United States if the region becomes less stable in the coming years. “The main threat that Iran could potentially pose for the United States is in the region, with American military bases and other facilities potentially at risk in the event of an all-out confrontation,” Ali Shabani said.

All the potential chaos the other three can cause would suit China well, especially if Trump whacks Beijing with steep tariffs once in office.

One European diplomat explained that a common fear among their peers is that Trump doesn’t fully grasp how many moving parts there are nor how they interact with each other. There is legitimate concern, for example, that Trump will cut a deal on Ukraine and pull back from NATO. Doing so would expose European security and leave the continent vulnerable to Russia. Trump also wants to impose tariffs on European exporters.

“You cannot withdraw support for Europe’s security, hit their economies, then expect their companies to stop selling semiconductors to China or consumers to not buy cheaper Chinese goods, which means what happens in Europe now could have consequences for Taiwan, which would have consequences for allies in the Indo-Pacific. It’s all connected,” the diplomat said.

Fears that Trump doesn’t take global affairs seriously are hardly new. But what might be different in his second term is how much, or how little, attention he pays to the rest of the world.

“The first time around, people were worried he would be looking for reasons to hit the red button,” Bruen said. “I think this time, it’s more concerning that he will turn a blind eye to the rest of the world and see the behavior of people like Putin and [Chinese President Xi Jinping] as not being America’s problem.”

Trump might want to focus on a purely domestic agenda, as is his right. But enemies are looking at a potential void right now and seeing an opportunity to reach a shared objective: to take a major bite out of Washington’s global influence and swallow it up themselves.

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

The US claims that 8,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to the Russia-Ukraine border while Ukraine estimates 12,000 North Korean troops are in Russia.

Where are these numbers coming from? Despite a lack of evidence, US media has been overrun by stories of North Korean troops in Ukraine. Unfortunately, this kind of unquestioned reporting on North Korea is a pattern—not a fluke.

These claims serve to advance the West’s war drive. By scapegoating North Korea and manufacturing urgency, Ukraine justifies more requests for arms aid and foreign troops. In the past few days, the US sent another $425 million to Ukraine while Zelensky begged the US to greenlight a preemptive strike.

Meanwhile, South Korea has already profited from this war through arms sales to Poland, and now President Yoon is using the allegations to justify direct arms sales to Ukraine.

What the media hypocritically ignores is the role of Western forces in escalating the conflict. Since the war began in 2022, NATO troops have been present in Ukraine, and the US has contributed a total of $90 billion while using Ukraine as their weapons testing ground.

In the past two years, US alliances have further pushed the Korean peninsula towards war.

In June, North Korea and Russia signed a mutual defense agreement in response to intensified US-South Korea military exercises.

While the US pushes the world into further conflict and crisis, the working and oppressed people of the world sleep hungry in dilapidated homes. Every year, the masses witness the US spend nearly $1.5 trillion to maintain its military dominance. Our people do not want war: they want bread, housing, and a livable future for their children.

Down with the war economy, up with the people’s economy!

Via Nodutdol for Korean Community Development

[traegorn]

Tangential bit that has me headscratching WRT this 'pointing out IRA psyopping US voters=anti-Asian bigotry' thing: so far as I've read, 'whitebread' Russians don't treat Asian Russians any better than the US treats Asian-Americans. Putin's regime flat out uses Russian minorities as cannon fodder for invading Ukraine, and is now apparently accepting North Korean troops to that end. Blowing wind like defending Russian trollfarms' honor is somehow pan-Asian solidarity just seems fucking deranged.

(Quick clarification for those not deep in this: IRA refers to Internet Research Agency -- the company Russia used in 2016 for their psyops)

You're thinking to hard about this. H-R was trying to put me on the defensive. They were dragging in other people who weren't even involved. It was either a disingenuous ploy or there's something seriously wrong with them. If you're looking for a rational explanation, it does not exist.

[trendynewsnow]

Russia and North Korea Forge Military Alliance Amid Ukraine Conflict

Russia and North Korea’s Military Cooperation In a significant development, Russia has reportedly supplied North Korea with advanced anti-aircraft missiles, as part of a reciprocal agreement involving the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to support Russia’s ongoing military operations in Ukraine. A South Korean official disclosed this information on Friday, highlighting the…

[follow-up-news]

South Korea on Monday demanded the immediate pullout of North Korean troops allegedly deployed in Russia as it summoned the Russian ambassador to protest deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. South Korea’s spy agency said Friday it had confirmed that North Korea sent 1,500 special operation forces to Russia this month to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korea soldiers were being prepared to join invading Russian forces. During a meeting with Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev, Vice South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun “condemned in the strongest terms” North Korea’s troop dispatch that he said poses “a grave security threat” to South Korea and the international community, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

[sonyaheaneyauthor]

NATO has confirmed that North Korean troops have been sent to help Russia in its almost three-year war against Ukraine and says some have already been deployed in Russia's Kursk border region, where Russia has been struggling to push back a Ukrainian incursion.

Adding thousands of North Korean soldiers to Europe's biggest conflict since World War II will pile more pressure on Ukraine's weary and overstretched army.

"Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region," NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters.

Rutte said the move represents "a significant escalation" in North Korea's involvement in the conflict and marks "a dangerous expansion of Russia's war".

It will also stoke geopolitical tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the wider Indo-Pacific region, including Japan and Australia, Western officials say...

...Ukraine, whose defences are under severe Russian pressure in its eastern Donetsk region, could get more bleak news from next week's US presidential election. 

A Donald Trump victory could see key US military help dwindle.

In Moscow, the Defence Ministry announced on Monday that Russian troops have captured the Donetsk village of Tsukuryne — the latest settlement to succumb to the slow-moving Russian onslaught.

Rutte spoke in Brussels after a high-level South Korean delegation, including top intelligence and military officials as well as senior diplomats, briefed the alliance's 32 national ambassadors at NATO headquarters... MORE