There will be no big changes. The troops of the DPRK may suffer even greater losses in the war against Ukraine than the Russian Federation — Estonian intelligence

Colonel Ants Kiviselg, commander of the Intelligence Center of the Ministry of Defense of Estonia, stated this, reports ERR.

According to Ukrainian data, 3,000 soldiers from the 11th Army Corps of North Korea, including about 200 special forces, have arrived in the Kursk region of Russia, the commander noted.

Kiviselg noted that these servicemen probably arrived in Russia at the beginning of October. After their arrival, they underwent preliminary training in the Eastern Military District, which lasted from two to four weeks, and then they began to be transferred to the Ukrainian front.

The head of the intelligence center of the Estonian Defense Forces said that, according to preliminary data, North Korea promised to send 10,000 to 12,000 military personnel to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals. He also noted that the arrival of North Korean soldiers to the Ukrainian front is likely to take place in stages over the coming weeks.

Kiwiselg noted that North Korean soldiers are usually trained for combat in mountainous terrain and have no experience working in Ukraine, where they are unfamiliar with the climate and geography. He also emphasized that their training in Russia is not of high quality.

“We can expect that North Korean units will suffer heavy losses in Ukraine, and probably even more heavy than those suffered by the Russian Federation forces so far,” said Kiwiselg.

He noted that, despite this, North Korea can continue sending its units to Russia and the Ukrainian front. Although the arrival of the North Korean military will not lead to significant changes for now, the long-term transfer of units, their training and subsequent deployment to the front could eventually affect the situation on the contact line, according to the intelligence officer.

Participation of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine

Earlier, South Korean intelligence reported that the DPRK decided to send 12,000 soldiers, including a special-purpose unit, to the war against Ukraine.

On October 22, it became known that South Korea is considering the possibility of sending its troops to Ukraine after the DPRK sent troops to support the Russian Federation. It was reported that the South Korean government and military are “considering a plan to send an appropriate number of personnel, including intelligence officers specializing in North Korea and experts on enemy tactics” to Ukraine.

On October 24, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Eun-hyung said that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un sent his army to fight against Ukraine as “cannon fodder”.

This week ((October 28 – November 3) a South Korean delegation will visit Ukraine to share information about the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia and to discuss cooperation between Seoul and Kyiv.

On October 28, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the involvement of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine and their redeployment to the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.

According to the NYT, Ukrainian servicemen have already been warned that in the coming days they may face North Korean troops in the Kursk region.

On October 29, the Financial Times newspaper, citing unnamed high-ranking Ukrainian intelligence officials, reported that about three thousand North Korean soldiers had been brought to the Kursk region of the Russian Federation and stationed approximately 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border