Pro-Kremlin writers are claiming that North Korean soldiers are seeing front-line action in the Kursk region of Russia.
Approximately 10,000 personnel of the Korean People’s Army were dispatched to aid the Russian military in October. Since then, there has been scant evidence of widespread deployment to the front lines.
Now Kremlin-aligned bloggers in Russia are pushing a united media campaign supporting their North Korean allies, claiming they played a crucial role in the capture of Plekhovo village.
Plekhovo fell to Russian advances several days ago and Ukrainian leaders did not convey any North Korean role in the attack.
Footage has been distributed via Telegram by Kremlin advocates purporting to show North Korean soldiers mobilizing on foot and in military vehicles.
“Our North Korean comrades have undergone a baptism of fire effectively,” wrote Russian military blogger Colonel Cassad, according to translations from the Telegraph. “Comrade Kim Jong-un can be proud.”
The context and accuracy of the Russian-sourced video cannot be verified.
President Volodymyr Zelensky reported “first battles” with North Korean soldiers last month, but only scattered reports of cooperation with Russian platoons in combat have been released since.
As recently as last week, Ukrainian intelligence reports indicated that the vast majority of Korean People’s Army personnel were being used as guards and patrolmen in areas where Russia maintained firm control. Their occupation of these posts allegedly freed up Russian soldiers to be deployed to the front lines.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The nature of North Korea’s true role in the invasion of Ukraine remains difficult to parse due to the unreliability of Russian media, as well as a lack of consistency in U.S. and Ukrainian intelligence on the issue.
Additionally, it has been suggested that North Korean soldiers are being disguised as Russian nationals from ethnic groups with similar Asiatic facial features. The U.S. government has asserted they are being dressed in Russian military uniforms and given Russian weapons.
Neither North Korea nor Russia have acknowledged the Korean People’s Army presence in Kursk, though the operations have hardly been kept secret.
