▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) inspects the training base of the Army's special operations forces on Sept. 11, 2024, in this photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Also seen in the photo are Sin Kum-chol (L), head of the Main Operational Directorate, Kim Yong-bok (2nd from L), deputy chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, and Ri Chang-ho (R), director of the General Reconnaissance. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

NK troops-Russia

2,000 N. Korean soldiers join Russian troops in Ukraine: report

SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Yonhap) -- Two thousand North Korean soldiers deployed to the war in Ukraine have joined Russian units to engage in combat, a Ukrainian media outlet reported Tuesday, citing an intelligence official.

According to the Ukrainian daily Kyiv Post, Andriy Chernyak, a representative of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (HUR), said the North Korean forces are "likely not on the front lines" but "still contribute to the aggression" against Ukraine during an interview with Radio Svoboda.

Chernyak said the North Korean soldiers "still contribute to the aggression against Ukraine and the killing of Ukrainian service members," the newspaper said.

He added that two thousand North Korean soldiers have "joined Russian units, being deployed with a Marine Brigade and an Airborne Division to actively engage in combat, with another 9,000 more in reserve."

The North Korean troops in Russia are commanded by three North Korean generals, according to HUR.

Earlier, Ukraine named three North Korean generals accompanying the North Korean troops, including Kim Yong-bok, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, and Ri Chang-ho, director of the General Reconnaissance.

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