North Korean soldiers have been filmed receiving uniforms and equipment at a training camp in Russia’s far east, appearing to confirm reports by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) that 1,500 soldiers have been sent for military training and deployment in Ukraine.
North Korean soldiers are believed to be undergoing training before being sent to the front lines in Ukraine, in what is seen as a clear sign of increasingly close relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.
In a video shared with CNN by the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security, a Ukrainian government organization, a long line of soldiers can be seen waiting to receive their uniforms. The soldiers are believed to be speaking in Korean, although the poor audio quality makes it difficult to fully understand their conversations.
Upon arrival in Russia, North Korean recruits have been asked to fill out a questionnaire indicating their size for hats, helmets, uniforms and shoes. In a copy of the questionnaire shared with CNN, the top part of the form is written in Russian, while the various size options are written in Korean.
Another video circulating on social media, geolocated by CNN, shows troops arriving at the Sergeevka training camp, located near Russia’s border with China. In the video, a Russian interlocutor can be heard in the background saying “we can’t film them,” before adding: “There are more… there are millions of them here. Here are the new reinforcements. This is just the beginning. There are more.”
The evidence appears to confirm Kyiv’s concern that North Korea has been preparing to play a more direct role in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned of the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea, saying at a NATO summit this week that “thousands” of North Korean troops were heading to Russia.
“According to the information I have, they are preparing 10,000 soldiers, different types of soldiers, ground forces and technical personnel,” Zelensky told reporters, describing it as an “urgent” task he had raised with the United States.
South Korean media had previously reported that the North would send a total of 12,000 troops, although this figure was not included in the national intelligence service’s statement.
This could be the first time North Korea has intervened significantly in an international conflict. Despite having one of the world’s largest militaries, with 1.2 million soldiers, many of its troops lack combat experience.