Russia has armed North Korean troops deployed near the border with Ukraine with infantry weapons, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) reported on Nov. 2.
According to HUR, North Korean soldiers received 60-mm mortars, AK-12 rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, Feniks anti-tank guided missiles, and hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers.
They also reportedly received some night vision devices, thermal imagers, collimator sights, and binoculars.
According to the Financial Times, Ukrainian intelligence officials are skeptical regarding the combat effectiveness of the North Korean troops, citing communication issues with their Russian counterparts as the main hurdle Moscow and Pyongyang will have to bridge.
Russia deployed more than 7,000 North Korean troops from Russia's Primorsky Krai to the Ukrainian border, the agency said.
These numbers almost coincide with those of Washington's announced earlier this week. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that some 8,000 North Korean troops are amassed in Russia's Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine began a cross-border incursion in August and still holds significant swathes of territory.
North Korea has sent nearly 12,000 troops to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals, HUR reported. Soldiers are reportedly currently undergoing training at five military camps in the Russian Far East.
North Korea's entry into the war comes when Russia's long and grinding campaign in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk Oblast has dramatically gained pace in recent days. Analysts say Russian forces are advancing at a pace not seen since the early months of the war.
Chris York
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