Russia plans to assign one interpreter to every 30 North Korean soldiers for better coordination with Russian troops on the battlefield, Ukraine's military intelligence agency reported on Oct. 25, citing an intercepted conversation between service members of a Russian brigade in Kursk Oblast.
North Korea has sent nearly 12,000 troops to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals, to participate in the war against Ukraine, according to military intelligence. The first sightings of North Korean soldiers on a base in Russia were recorded on Oct. 23.
Moscow is planning to send the first North Korean soldiers to a combat zone on Oct. 27-28, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
In the intercepted conversations, the Russian military refers to the North Korean soldiers as "K Battalion," according to HUR.
Apart from an interpreter, three Russian soldiers will be assigned to every group of 30 North Korean fighters. However doubts remain in the Russian army about the possibility of carrying this out in practice.
North Korea has denied reports of its troops' presence in Russia, while a Kremlin spokesperson provided an evasive response.
A military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 21 that Russian authorities detained 18 North Korean soldiers who abandoned their positions in Kursk Oblast. Video footage has also emerged, allegedly showing North Korean troops at a Russian military training camp.
South Korean media reported on Oct. 22 that Pyongyang had dispatched pilots capable of flying Russian warplanes to join the conflict in Ukraine. South Korea's Yonhap agency also stated that South Korea is considering sending personnel to Ukraine to monitor North Korean troops.
Chris York
(Updated: )
