In an intelligence update, the UK Ministry of Defence has revealed that around 10,000 North Korean troops are now in Russia, with some reportedly deployed to the Kursk region.
This deployment is part of an enhanced military partnership between Russia and North Korea, formalised through the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, which includes a mutual defence clause.
This treaty was ratified by the Russian State Duma on 24 October 2024.
According to British intelligence, North Korea’s military support to Russia’s campaign in Ukraine has been pivotal in solidifying this partnership. Until now, the alliance largely revolved around North Korea supplying Russia with arms.
In return, North Korea gains Russia’s high-level international backing and secures a trading partner prepared to bypass sanctions.
However, operational challenges are expected for North Korean forces, as the two nations have limited joint military experience. The intelligence update states:
“Around 10,000 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) combat troops are in Russia. It is almost certain some have already deployed to the Kursk region.
Russia and DPRK have committed to deepening their bilateral partnership with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, which includes a mutual defence clause, and was ratified by the Russian State Duma on 24 October 2024. For Russia, DPRK’s military support to their war in Ukraine has highly likely been the core driver for the partnership and has until now, centred around North Korea’s provision of arms. In return, DPRK has received high level international support from Russia and has secured a trading partner willing to break sanctions.
Russian and DPRK forces would almost certainly experience interoperability difficulties having not previously carried out joint military exercises. DPRK troops conducting combat operations would almost certainly have issues operating Russian equipment, integrating into Russia’s command and control structure, and working around the language barrier with Russian forces.”
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There must be an awful lot of kit knocking around in the U.K and Europe that we could give the Ukraine, even now.
I doubt that our army has much more kit to gift.
Not without utterly gutting what he have in establishment for our own units.
I assumed Geoffrey meant spare, old, obsolete types.
It seems the long rumoured strategic Reserve never existed. Or if it did, post 1991 it was gradually broken up.
Kit formally declared Obsolete (because a new equipment has taken (or is taking) its place or because it is political policy to have a capability gap) is quickly disposed of by sale, gifting or scrapping (last resort), except if it is a submarine(!) and then the disposal process is anything but quick!
There are no hangers full of Obsolete kit.
Strategic Reserve – that was a phrase from way back and referred to a nominated regular army formation – 3 Inf Div was formed as the UK’s Strat Reserve in Dec 1950 as a consequence of the outbreak of the Korean War. In its Strat Reserve role it (or elements) deployed many times overseas and to Op Banner in NI.
Its role as a UK-based divisional size Strat Reserve ended with the Mason defence review of 1975.
I never heard the term Strategic Reserve applied to a very large stockpile of kit.
There was a stockpile called ‘Stockpile Rex’ created as a lesson of the Falklands conflict and I think it was for ‘Out of Area’ kit, but I have no details.
Clearly there are stockpiles of ammunition, missiles, combat supplies, med equipment etc etc for training and operations including General War. There are small numbers of significant equipments such as AFVs and artillery held as Attrition Reserve used to be called War Maint Reserve (WMR)).
Here is a interesting article from June 2012.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18614372
Remember back in the late 60s and early 70s an arch under the A13 full of old 2nd WW and later kit of all types ready for a war that thankfully never came I presume. Used to clamour over it as a kid, quite rank by then but fascinating nonetheless. Doubt much of it would have been usable.
Give them the pensioners winter fuel allowance along with the other Billions fuck your own people.
A Trump & Putin supporter no doubt !
No, probably right, not here. We’re still using it! Europe? Take them two years to work out how to do it I suppose.
Will the Koreans occupy quieter areas freeing up Russians or be fed straight into the meat grinder?
Unrelated, ongoing UKDJ tech issues… I can’t view profiles anymore? Can anyone else?
Kind of a killer because since I don’t get reply notifications I use checking my own profile to find my posts and see if they’ve been replied too.
No, I cannot see mine or yours either.
I still get notifications thankfully.
Great… well if I can’t use my profile and I’m not getting notifications that’s going to pretty much kill me commenting here.
Email George they’ll sort it mate.
Tried checking profiles on a PC at work and my mobile, nothing.
How do you find your profile?
Graham.
If you click on your gravatar ( you don’t have a photo but it would still work ) your profile appears, showing all the posts you’ve ever made and recent activity. You can then go back and read a posters comment history.
Very revealing with some of the repeat offender Trolls here.
Not heard of a gravatar before, but I clicked my silhouette image next to my name on the above post of mine and nothing happened.
That’s because it’s not working right now.
Thankfully doesn’t affect me, very rarely check replies, avoids conflict ✌️☮️. But I’m sure annoying for others.
From a video I have off telegram, they are being fed into the meat grinder. The NK troops are VERY unhappy about it. Apparently a group of 40 was slaughtered with only 1 man remaining.
The video shows a wondered NK soldier complaining about the Russians, their tactics and command. Putin has lost the war he also says.
Other than the political considerations of North Koreans fighting on Ukraine territory, feeding them into the meatgrinder of Ukraine may have more impact if only to use up more Ukrainian munitions.After all the tactics employed there are perhaps more familiar to the North Koreans ie. mass attacks regardless of losses, but communications and co-operation with existing Russian Forces could be a nightmare which is why they are being kept in Russia.
Put 10,000 NATO troops in UKR to compnsate.
Now you know NATO cannot do that.
It’s a bit ironic really. Once a powerful Soviet Union led the world communist order by sending troops to support minor East Asian nations fighting the west.. now minor East Asian countries send troops to Russia, to support it in a war with minor European nation. How Russia has fallen.
Is North Korean joining in with Russia in Ukraine a cynical move by them to give them a potential excuse to attack the West, even South Korea, in some capacity as their soldiers are being attacked and killed?
I wouldn’t think this would be likely. NK troops would not have seen the tech the west has before and I think with ukraine having old western kit will be a shock to the core for them. Plus the drones.
If anything, their leader Kim and his military command will be eyeing up potential western response, in terms of what weaponry we are using and tactics a western country uses in some form of measuring what a future conflict with the south of Korea would be like.
They’d be in for quite a shock if they attacked the south. South Korea has been heavily armed by America and uses the most top kit the west offers.
Plus the reports of NK troops being very malnourished, full of lice and what not does not bode well for them in Ukraine.
I know from Mash😂 Korea can be rather cold but I think they may find Ukraine come Christmas a bit of a ‘challenge’ shall we say.
would n korea accept the russian meat grinder approach? or is it even possible the n korean generals want to gain battlefield experience? quite awful for the grunts.
C’est le guerre.
Did HMG merely copy the South Korean claim that there are 10,000 North Korean troops who have been sent by Kim to fight in Putin’s war or did they have independent verification, I wonder?