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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George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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Geoff Roach
Geoff Roach
1 day ago

There must be an awful lot of kit knocking around in the U.K and Europe that we could give the Ukraine, even now.

Graham Moore
Graham Moore
1 day ago
Reply to  Geoff Roach

I doubt that our army has much more kit to gift.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
1 day ago
Reply to  Graham Moore

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.

Graham Moore
Graham Moore
1 day ago

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… Read more »

george lowe
george lowe
1 day ago
Reply to  Graham Moore

Give them the pensioners winter fuel allowance along with the other Billions fuck your own people.

N. Rothery
N. Rothery
1 day ago
Reply to  george lowe

A Trump & Putin supporter no doubt !

Geoff Roach
Geoff Roach
9 hours ago
Reply to  Graham Moore

No, probably right, not here. We’re still using it! Europe? Take them two years to work out how to do it I suppose.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
1 day ago

Will the Koreans occupy quieter areas freeing up Russians or be fed straight into the meat grinder?

Dern
Dern
1 day ago

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.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
1 day ago
Reply to  Dern

No, I cannot see mine or yours either.
I still get notifications thankfully.

Dern
Dern
1 day ago

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.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
1 day ago
Reply to  Dern

Email George they’ll sort it mate.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
1 day ago
Reply to  Dern

Tried checking profiles on a PC at work and my mobile, nothing.

Graham Moore
Graham Moore
1 day ago
Reply to  Dern

How do you find your profile?

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
1 day ago
Reply to  Graham Moore

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.

Graham Moore
Graham Moore
2 minutes ago

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.

Zack Caddi
Zack Caddi
16 hours ago

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.

Frank62
Frank62
1 day ago

Put 10,000 NATO troops in UKR to compnsate.

Graham Moore
Graham Moore
1 minute ago
Reply to  Frank62

Now you know NATO cannot do that.

Jonathan
Jonathan
1 day ago

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.

Quentin D63
Quentin D63
17 hours ago
Reply to  Jonathan

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?

Zack Caddi
Zack Caddi
15 hours ago
Reply to  Quentin D63

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… Read more »

simon
simon
16 hours ago
Reply to  Jonathan

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.

Aurelius
Aurelius
13 hours ago

C’est le guerre.

Graham Moore
Graham Moore
3 hours ago

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?