Reports indicate that North Korean troops, recently deployed in Russia to support President Vladimir Putin's forces amid the prolonged Ukraine conflict, have deserted their posts only days after arriving.
The deployment was intended to strengthen Russian forces
in the face of Ukraine’s resistance, with Ukrainian troops holding key
territories despite the Kremlin allegedly receiving advance warning of
Ukrainian plans.
According to Ukraine’s national
broadcaster, Suspilne, the North Korean soldiers were stationed roughly four
miles from the Ukrainian border, inside Russian territory. Ukrainian
intelligence sources claim Russian officials are currently searching for these
soldiers following reports of desertion.
This development follows
earlier reports suggesting Moscow was attempting to form a unit of foreign
troops sent by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to bolster Russian efforts,
particularly in the Kursk region. Ukrainian media suggests these troops were to
be incorporated into a “special Buryat battalion,” named after ethnic groups
indigenous to parts of Russia, Mongolia, and northern China.
In June, President Putin made a
landmark visit to North Korea, his first in over two decades, where he signed a
“comprehensive strategic partnership pact” with Kim Jong-un. This agreement
outlines a mutual defence arrangement, committing both nations to provide
military assistance if either faces an armed aggression.
Last week, The New York Times
reported that Russia had incurred approximately 600,000 casualties — killed or
wounded — since its invasion of Ukraine. U.S. officials attribute this
significant toll to the grueling, attritional nature of the conflict, which has
seen limited shifts in territory over the past year. They also noted that
September 2024 marked the bloodiest month for Russian forces since the war
began.
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