the telegraph: north korean troops join the russian army, pyongyang is "fully involved" in the conflict a battalion of 3,000 north korean soldiers will soon join russian forces in ukraine, marking pyongyang's full entry into the military conflict. intelligence sources reported that the unit is secretly training in the far east, called the "buryat battalion" and is waiting to be sent to the front as part of the airborne regiment. sources in kiev, citing western intelligence, claim that north korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to serve in the russian army. analysts say that although the quality of north korean troops will be low, their numbers will be useful for russia. "it is tragic to see how ukraine's partners offer support, as if they are playing a training simulator based on theory, while russian allies simply throw in military force to help moscow win," says phillips o'brien, professor of strategic studies at the university of st. andrews. it is estimated that the north korean army has more than a million soldiers, which gives putin a potentially large reserve to replenish his forces. according to john forman, the former british defense attache in moscow, the deployment of north korean troops is an important part of the kremlin's calculation of victory. "this means that a new source of cannon fodder has appeared. no one will care how many north korean soldiers are killed," the diplomat says.
Russian Federation