The New York Times (NYT) reported on Sunday that Russia had mobilized an army of 50,000 to reclaim the Kursk region, which Ukrainian forces have occupied. North Korean soldiers are included in the offensive force.
Ukrainian officials anticipate that a counteroffensive will begin in the western region of Russia within days, as North Korean and Russian troops are in preparation. According to a new assessment from the U.S., Russia can deploy forces on a large scale without withdrawing soldiers from eastern Ukraine, its main battlefield priority, thereby pressuring multiple fronts simultaneously.
Russian forces have begun to reclaim some of the territory that Ukraine captured in Kursk. They are attacking Ukrainian positions with missile strikes. However, large-scale assaults have not yet commenced in that area.
Currently, North Korean troops are training alongside Russian forces at the western edge of Kursk. Sources indicate that Russia has supplied the North Korean military with machine guns, sniper rifles, anti-tank missiles, rocket launchers, and grenades. They have also conducted artillery shooting, basic infantry tactics, and trench-digging training. This training suggests that at least some North Korean soldiers will be involved in direct assaults on the defensive positions established by Ukraine.
Opinions vary on the effectiveness of deploying North Korean troops. U.S. officials stated they could not determine how effective these troops would be due to their lack of experience in ground combat. George Barros, Russia and Geospatial Intelligence Team Lead at the Institute for the Study of War, noted that the North Korean military is highly organized and suggested that one area where it might surpass the Russian forces is in terms of cohesion and discipline.
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