Forbes: North Korean Troops May Have Appeared Near Kursk

• 28.10.2024, 10:22

They were among the Russians' "brutal units."

Intercepted Russian radio traffic suggests that the Kremlin is secretly moving North Korean troops toward the Ukrainian-held salient in Russia's Kursk region.

This is what military analyst David Axe writes for Forbes.

The analyst points out that intercepted radio communications published by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate appear to confirm that thousands of North Korean troops have begun arriving along the front lines in western Russia.

The intercepted conversation between two Russian military officials concerned a KAMAZ truck driver who was stopped entering Kursk. Russian military police "stopped several KAMAZ trucks on the highway" in the Kursk region, one of the officers explained to his colleague over the radio. One of the trucks in question had a civilian license plate.

The vehicle also "had no combat purpose," so the military police "became concerned." As David Ax notes, the documents do not reflect Pyongyang's deployment of forces in the Kursk region.

The North Korean soldiers mentioned in the radio intercept were "intended" for the 810th Marine Brigade of the Russian Navy, which is trying to repel the Ukrainian offensive on the eastern edge of the Kursk Salient near the village of Russkaya Konopelka (Sudzha district).

"Ukrainian drones and artillery are holding off the Russians for now," Axe writes.

He also emphasized that Russian Marine units are known for their brutality. For example, the 155th Separate Marine Brigade executed nine Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Kursk region.

Suppose the radio intercept of Ukrainian intelligence officers indicates a wider movement of North Korean forces towards Kursk. In that case, Axe emphasizes, it is only a matter of time before direct evidence of their participation in the battle appears.