Budanov said North Korean troops could appear near Kursk "as early as tomorrow"

According to the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, Kirill Budanov, the first North Korean troops will soon arrive in Russia to help shield the Kursk Region from an offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This is reported by The War Zone.

It is expected that their offensive in the Kursk direction will take place as early as 23 October 2024. However, the exact number and level of training of the North Korean armed forces is still unknown, and this will become clear in the coming days.

DPRK troops in Russia

Earlier there were reports about the possible training of North Korean soldiers to participate in combat operations on the side of Russia. A video circulated by the Centre for Strategic Communications showed North Korean soldiers allegedly being trained and coached into Russian uniforms at a training ground in Russia's Far East. This has sparked fears that the DPRK will indeed join military operations against Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on his evening confirmed that according to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia is planning to use North Korean military units in combat operations in Ukraine. We are talking about two brigades to gather 6,000 men, as reported to the president by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian armed forces Alexander Syrsky.

North Korea's official response

However, North Korea has rejected accusations of sending its troops to Russia for participating in the war against Ukraine. North Korea's representative to the UN Cha Sung-nam called the reports "groundless rumours", which, in his opinion, are aimed at undermining relations between the DPRK and Russia. At a meeting of the First Committee of the US Congress, he said that North Korea did not consider it necessary to comment on the allegations.