Russia is likely using North Korean troops to fight on its behalf in Ukraine.  

Intelligence from Ukraine suggests that the Russian military has stood up a reinforced battalion of North Koreans to fight on its behalf.  

North Koreans in Russian Service 

According to Ukrainian reports citing intelligence officials, the Russian military is forming a 3,000-strong unit of North Korean citizens.  

The BBC also has information that the newly established unit is training close to Mongolia in Ulan-Ude.  The Russian military is providing weapons and training to the North Koreans and will likely deploy them to Kursk Oblast to fend off the Ukrainian foray into Russian territory.  

“The Kremlin is likely leveraging the recent June 2024 Russia-North Korea comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in part to offset Russian force generation and border security requirements, further cementing Russian President Vladimir Putin's commitment to avoiding mobilization for as long as possible,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed in its latest estimate of the war.  

Although the Ukrainian claims can’t be verified to their fullest extent, Moscow hasn’t denied them either. The Kremlin usually denies something that isn’t accurate, and a lot of stuff that is accurate.  

Back in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed the Russia-North Korea comprehensive strategic partnership agreement.  

“The Kremlin is likely using the mutual defense provision of the agreement to provide the legal justification for the deployment of North Korean soldiers to the combat zone in Russia in response to the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast. ISW has recently observed reports that a small contingent of North Korean personnel was operating near occupied Donetsk City,” the Institute for the Study of War added.  

The war in Ukraine has turned Russia into a shunned state. It is not yet a pariah state like North Korea or Iran, but it is moving toward that direction as the fighting continues. As a result, Moscow has been looking toward unsavory partners to support its illegal invasion of Ukraine. Iran has been providing thousands of suicide drones, hundreds of ballistic missiles, and expertise on how to use and manufacture weaponry. North Korea has been providing artillery rounds, armored vehicles, and now soldiers.  

Russian Casualties in the Ukraine War 

As for the reason why the Russian military needs to resort to using North Koreans to fight its war, the answer is simple: extremely heavy casualties. 

The Russian forces continue to take very heavy losses in the fighting daily. For example, over the past twenty-four hours, the Russian forces lost approximately 1,450 troops killed and wounded. On a single day, Moscow lost the equivalent of more than an entire regiment. Moreover, the Russian forces lost approximately seventy-eight tactical vehicles and fuel trucks, thirty-one unmanned aerial systems, thirty infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, twenty-nine artillery pieces and multiple launch rocket systems, and nine main battle tanks. Overall, the Russian forces have lost around 670,000 troops in the war.  

About the Author 

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

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