The first North Korean military units, which trained in eastern Russia, have arrived in the war zone. They were spotted yesterday in the Kursk Oblast in Russia. Ukrainian intelligence has made this known. The news was relaunched by Ukrainian Pravda.
Ukrainian intelligence added that the number of North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia currently amounts to around 12,000 units, including 500 officers, in particular three Pyongyang generals.
Moscow has named Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov responsible for overseeing the training and adaptation of North Korean troops.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, «the soldiers sent by Pyongyang are supplied with ammunition, bedding, winter clothing and footwear and hygiene products. In particular, according to the established rules, Moscow will provide each North Korean with toilet paper and 300 grams of soap every month.”
Putin: military clause in the treaty with North Korea
The Russian-North Korean Strategic Partnership Treaty includes a clause on mutual military assistance. President Vladimir Putin said this in response to a question regarding the apparent presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia. «Our strategic partnership treaty was ratified today, if I’m not mistaken. Includes Article 4. We never doubted that the North Korean leadership would take our agreements seriously. It is up to us to decide what we will do under this clause and how,” Putin told reporters at a press conference after the Brics summit in Kazan.
«Negotiations on the implementation of Article 4 of this treaty have yet to be conducted. We are in contact with our North Korean friends. Let’s see how this process develops,” Putin said, commenting on reports on satellite images showing North Korean soldiers in Russian territory. «Images are a serious thing. If there are images, then they reflect something,” the Kremlin owner said.