Ukraine does not rule out the possibility that Russia will deploy North Korean troops in the offensives against the northeastern Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, Andrii Cherniak, spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR), told Japanese broadcaster NHK in comments published on April 15.
The warning follows a statement from Commander-in-Chief
Oleksandr Syrskyi
, who said on April 9 that Moscow’s spring offensive “has actually already begun.”
Cherniak said more than 11,000
North Korean
troops have been deployed to Russia’s
Kursk Oblast
, which borders both the Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts. Roughly 5,000 have already been killed or injured, but 6,000 remain in the region and are likely to be used in new assaults.
“Unfortunately, we can talk about the evolution, about the successful training of the North Korean military,” Cherniak told NHK
last week
, noting that Pyongyang’s forces have adopted Russian tactics of using
drones
and electronic warfare systems.
According to the
intelligence
spokesperson, North Korean troops operate in small assault groups and do not require ongoing coordination with Russian commanders.
They are instructed to “reach this or that frontier,” after which they move forward independently, Cherniak explained. He added that the soldiers do not constantly communicate with the Russian side.
Cherniak warned that their battlefield experience will be transferred back to North Korea and shared with other units, reinforcing Pyongyang’s capabilities and contributing to instability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Ukraine has repeatedly
accused
North Korea of supporting Russia’s invasion. Kyiv said Pyongyang deployed troops to Kursk last year to reinforce Moscow’s lines during a
cross-border offensive
by Ukrainian forces.
Cherniak’s remarks follow reports about additional international combatants supporting Russia. The president stated this.
Volodymyr Zelensky
mentioned on April 11 that over “a few hundred” individuals from China are also engaged in combat within the Russian forces. Out of these, two were
captured
in Donetsk Oblast at the beginning of this month.
Beijing has refuted any claims of direct participation in the war, stating that it has consistently urged its people to stay clear of military engagements.
Read also:
A report claims North Korea has earned more than $20 billion by supporting Russia’s military campaign.
