Amid reports of North Korean soldiers being sent to Russia, a video has surfaced showing what appears to be North Korean troops training in the Russian Far East.
Open source intelligence (OSINT) analysts were able to geolocate the footage and believe it was filmed at the base of Military Unit 44980, home to Russia’s 127th Motorized Rifle Division in Primorsky Krai, near the North Korean border. This area was previously the site of the “Vostok-2022” exercises, which involved Chinese troops. However, The Insider’s analysis concludes that the video in question was not taken during those exercises. The uniforms and gear of the foreign soldiers seen in the new video do not resemble those seen in footage from “Vostok-2022.” Additionally, the vegetation in the footage does not match that of the month of September, when the exercises took place.
A Korean translator who reviewed the video for The Insider noted that one of the soldiers shouted, “Follow the black line.” The translator suggested that the language used likely reflects a North Korean dialect.
Recently, Ukrainian Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, head of the country’s military intelligence agency (HUR), told The War Zone that around 11,000 North Korean infantry troops are being trained in eastern Russia, and that they are expected to begin fighting in Ukraine starting from Nov. 1. According to Budanov, these forces will use Russian equipment and ammunition.
The first group of 2,600 soldiers is set to be deployed for combat in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have established a foothold, Budanov said. The destination for the rest of the North Korean troops remains unclear. “We don't have the full picture right now,” Budanov told The War Zone.
Budanov’s comments came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters in Brussels that around 10,000 North Korean troops are preparing to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine. Zelensky provided no further details but warned that the involvement of a third nation could escalate the conflict into a “world war.”
A Ukrainian military intelligence source confirmed to the BBC that “a number of North Koreans have arrived” and are stationed in one of the military bases near the city of Ussuriysk, north of Vladivostok. The source declined to specify the exact number of foreign troops, but stated that it is “absolutely nowhere near 3,000.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the reports about North Korean troops. “This is not only British intelligence, it is also American intelligence. They report it all the time, they don't provide any evidence,” he said.
South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing the country's intelligence agency, reported today that North Korea has decided to send four brigades totaling 12,000 ground troops — including a special forces unit — to fight in Ukraine.
South Korean officials have previously suggested that some North Korean soldiers may already be involved in the Ukraine war, though exact deployment details have not been confirmed.
According to the latest data from South Korea, North Korea's active military personnel numbers 1.28 million.
In September, during Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu's visit to North Korea, Kim Jong Un conveyed his wishes for “victory, prosperity, and happiness” to the Russian people. He “assured that the North Korean government will continue to expand cooperation with Russia in line with the spirit of the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement” between the two countries.