"North Korea May Send Additional Troops to Russia... Mainly Artillery"

Ukrainian Intelligence Predicts Additional North Korean Troop Deployments to Russia
Majority Expected to Be Artillery Units, Not Infantry
North Korea Continues Supplying Missiles and Artillery Systems to Russia

There is a prospect from Ukrainian intelligence authorities that North Korea may deploy additional troops to the Kursk region of Russia.

A video released by the Ukrainian Military Strategic Communication and Information Security Center (SPRAVDI) on October 18 last year (local time), showing soldiers presumed to be North Korean lining up to receive Russian supplies. Photo by Yonhap News.

On the 22nd (local time), according to the U.S. military specialist media 'Warzone,' Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian military intelligence, stated in an interview with the media, "I do not think that the additional North Korean troops will consist mostly of ground combat soldiers." He predicted that the forces would be composed of artillery units firing shells, rockets, and short-range missiles from a distance rather than infantry engaging in close combat. Budanov added that the timing and scale of North Korea's additional deployment are not yet clear.

He emphasized that North Korea provided Russia with 148 rounds of the 'Hwasong-11Ga (KN-23)' short-range ballistic missiles last year and is expected to supply about 150 more this year. He also revealed that in the past three months, North Korea delivered 120 units of 170mm self-propelled artillery 'Goksanpo' and 120 units of 240mm multiple rocket launchers 'Juchepo' to Russia.

He stated, "North Korea possesses these artillery systems in large quantities," and forecasted that artillery equipment exceeding the scale sent so far will continue to be sent to Russia. The Goksanpo has a range of about 40 km but can reach up to 60 km when using special ammunition, and the Juchepo is a weapon capable of firing high-explosive shells, smoke shells, and incendiary shells, with a maximum range of 60 km.

Budanov expressed concern, saying, "The 170mm weapons have powerful ammunition and excellent performance, and the 240mm multiple rocket launchers can cause serious problems for the Ukrainian forces on the front lines." He also evaluated that North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia suffered heavy casualties while employing human wave tactics, describing them as "biological robots."

It is known that North Korea deployed about 12,000 troops to the Kursk region of Russia at the end of last year. The Ukrainian side claims that about one-third of them, approximately 4,000, were casualties. Budanov's remarks came after The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing an anonymous senior U.S. defense official, that "there is a possibility of additional North Korean deployments within the next two months."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.