Overview

• Ukraine’s and South Korea’s intelligence services report Pyongyang will send 30,000 additional troops to bolster Russian operations on the Ukrainian front.
• Satellite photos showing Russian Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft at Sunan airport corroborate preparations for the large-scale troop movement.
• Previous deployments of nearly 14,000 North Korean soldiers, including 12,000 in the Kursk region, have resulted in about 600 deaths and thousands of injuries.
• The planned troop dispatch is tied to a personnel-for-technology pact under which Russia will provide advanced missiles, air-defense systems and electronic warfare gear.
• Russia’s Defense Ministry is supplying training, weapons and ammunition to integrate North Korean units into forthcoming large-scale offensive operations.