Reports from credible news agencies or official statements confirming the escape

Russia Forms "Special Buryat Battalion" of 3,000 North Korean Soldiers Amid Troop Shortages

Oct 16, 2024, 08:07 AM

Russia is reportedly forming a "special Buryat battalion" of North Korean soldiers to bolster its forces in the conflict with Ukraine, according to multiple reports citing Ukrainian intelligence sources. The battalion, estimated to comprise about 3,000 personnel, is allegedly being formed within the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade, based on a Buryat brigade, at military bases near Ulan-Ude close to the Mongolian border. The unit may be deployed for missions in the Kursk region near the Ukrainian border. Further reports suggest that Russia is facing a severe troop shortage due to heavy losses in Ukraine and is training more than 10,000 North Korean troops to free up its own personnel. Ukrainian media outlets have cited unnamed sources indicating that North Korea has moved from supplying Moscow with weapons to sending its own troops, with some North Korean soldiers already integrated into Russian units participating directly in the war against Ukraine. Analysts and officials in South Korea have noted that the war in Ukraine provides North Korea's military with opportunities to test its new weapons and assess its officers' preparedness for modern warfare. There are also unconfirmed reports of 18 North Korean soldiers escaping near the Bryansk and Kursk border, just 7 km from Ukraine, with their motives remaining unknown.