Russia is assembling a “coalition of criminals,” blasted Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russia is assembling a “coalition of criminals,” blasted Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russia is gathering huge numbers of North Koreans to fight in Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian military intelligence official told POLITICO.

“They are called the Buryat Battalion … there are some 3,000 North Koreans there,” the official said, when granted anonymity to candidly discuss the sensitive topic.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday said that Ukraine is now fighting against two states.

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The Kyiv Independent reported, citing an anonymous Western official, that Pyongyang has so far actually sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia to boost its war effort in Ukraine.

  • wewbullEnglish
    63·
    2 months ago

    I wonder what quality of soldier you get from N.Korea. Basically every man of fighting age (16-60???) is in the army from what I understand. So that would make the possible level hopeless to competent (maybe).

    I doubt Kim has given Putin his “elite” troops.

    • dyathinkhesaurus@lemmy.worldEnglish
      132·
      2 months ago

      The survivors may be elite once they make it out the other side tho. Maybe that’s the deal. It’s like money laundering, but with people

      • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        22·
        2 months ago

        That’s what I was thinking… offer a big bonus, but only if you survive. Then all the survivors are most likely elite soldiers.

    • orclev@lemmy.worldEnglish
      25·
      2 months ago

      Does NK have that many spare soldiers to offer? Seems like every other week there’s more news of rampant starvation in NK, and it’s not a particularly large country to begin with. I’d think they would need all the bodies at home they can get. On the other hand maybe they’re just counting on the Russians to feed them.

      • pandapoo@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        41·
        2 months ago

        Be skeptical of a lot of the news that purports to be coming out North Korea, a lot of it is from groups like the Moonies, and other ideologically and politically motivated propaganda.

        I’m not saying this to imply that the DPRK is actually a worker’s paradise, there’s no starvation, no potemkin villages, or that yes, Kim Jong-il did play a round of golf and hit all holes in one.

        My point is that for a country known as The Hermit Kingdom, and is extremely insular, secretive, and closed off, there’s a lot fewer credible sources who can actually report accurately on the specific events or acute conditions inside, then the many publications and their articles would have you believe.