North Korean and Russian Troops Gather Before Attack. As North Korean troops train alongside Russian forces, Ukrainian officials anticipate a counteroffensive in western Russia to start in the next few days. According to U.S. and Ukrainian authorities, the Russian military has amassed a force of 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops, as it gets ready to launch an attack to retake land that Ukraine has taken in the Kursk area of Russia.
According to a recent U.S. assessment, Russia has amassed forces without having to withdraw troops from Ukraine’s east, which is its top battlefield objective, enabling Moscow to advance on several fronts at once.
Some of the territory that Ukraine took in Kursk this year has been reclaimed by Russian soldiers. Although they have been using artillery fire and missile strikes to target Ukrainian positions, U.S. authorities stated that they have not yet launched a significant offensive there.
According to Ukrainian officials, such an attack by North Korean troops is anticipated in the days ahead.
In Kursk’s far western region, North Koreans are currently training alongside Russian troops.
US Reaction on North Korean Troops
President-elect Donald J. Trump is getting ready to return to office with a declared objective of bringing the conflict to a swift conclusion, but the Russian-North Korean attack is still looming. Vice President-elect JD Vance has presented a plan that would permit Russia to retain the area it has captured in Ukraine, but Mr. Trump has not made many statements regarding how he would resolve the crisis.
Given that Russia has been gaining momentum steadily in Kursk and in eastern Ukraine, some U.S. military and intelligence officials have become increasingly gloomy about Ukraine’s overall chances. Officials claim that Ukraine’s inability to address significant army strength shortages is partially to blame for the failures.
In order to assist Kyiv fight the conflict, President Biden has pushed Congress to sanction billions of dollars in aid and enlisted the U.S. military and espionage services to offer vital intelligence.
According to a Western diplomat, Ukraine’s unexpected August invasion of Kursk weakened its forces throughout the eastern Ukrainian battlefield, making them more susceptible to Russian attacks. However, according to that person and U.S. officials, Ukraine still has a robust defense in Kursk and may hold, at least temporarily.
The officials who were interviewed for this piece discussed sensitive intelligence assessments and provided an honest assessment of Ukraine’s battlefield chances while speaking on condition of anonymity.
After more than two years of conflict, North Korean forces’ arrival is seen by Ukrainian and Western officials as a significant escalation.
According to U.S. officials, North Korea has dispatched over 10,000 troops to engage Russia in combat in Kursk. Although Moscow has provided the troops with equipment and they are dressed in Russian uniforms, U.S. defense officials stated that the forces are likely to fight in separate formations.
According to Ukrainian officials, Moscow has provided North Korean forces with rocket-propelled grenades, antitank missiles, sniper rifles, and machine guns.
According to US sources, Russia has been teaching the North Koreans how to use artillery, conduct simple infantry maneuvers, and—most importantly—clear trenches. According to such training, frontal attacks on Ukraine’s fortified defensive positions are likely to involve at least some North Korean personnel.
Using the initials of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh stated on Thursday, “We fully expect that D.P.R.K. soldiers could be engaged in combat.”
What restrictions President Kim Jong-un’s regime has placed on the employment of its forces is unknown to U.S. authorities. But U.S. authorities anticipate that they will be directly engaged in combat.
According to a Ukrainian official, North Korean forces have been split up into two units: an assault unit and a support unit. These units will assist in ensuring security within the area that Ukrainian forces have retaken.
Unlike Russia, North Korea has not engaged in ground conflict for decades despite having a sizable army. However, the troops that North Korea is sending are regarded as its finest; they are taken from the 11th Corps, which houses the nation’s special operations forces.
With minimal resistance, the Ukrainians took over hundreds of square miles of terrain, but Russia has gradually eroded those gains, recovering about half of the taken area, and now seems prepared to launch a much more extensive operation.
American officials predict that the Russian and North Korean forces will likely sustain significant losses, akin to what Russia has experienced in eastern Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian military will be challenging to drive out. More than 1,200 Russian troops are killed and injured per day on average, according to U.S. and British military analysts.
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