Because this guy correctly predicted (albeit accidentally) that North Korea would have Su-27s and more MiG-29s. I guess so.
Until 12/9, people still see that as pure fiction...
North Korea Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
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Until 12/9, people still see that as pure fiction...
So I've heard claims from pro-Ukraine sources that there are "4 special forces brigades" in the Kursk region.
This would imply all four of the 11th Corps' Light Infantry Brigades have been deployed to Ukraine. The 11th Corps is North Korea's premier special forces formation. It also has airborne, sniper, and naval infantry brigades, but deploying these to Ukraine makes little sense. Four is also the exact number of Light Infantry Brigades it has.
Light Infantry are not really special forces in the Western sense. They are more akin to shock troops, intended to either breach the DMZ or infiltrate behind it and wreak havoc, allowing regular forces to then break through.
To me at least, I'm not surprised North Korean troops would do so well. Russia had anticipated fighting a war more akin to the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, with Ukrainian troops not posing much resistance. That's where the "3 days" claim came from in the beginning. Their military has had to reorient quite a bit to fight the war it has become.
Now move forward to 2024. It's a trench war with territorial gains/losses occurring at a slow pace; a battle of attrition. This is the type of war North Korea fought during 1951-1953, has been preparing for for most of its existence since then, perhaps up until 2021 when Kim declared the country would build tactical nukes. In the same way North Korea is providing artillery shells, which play a much smaller role in its new doctrine, to Russia, so too would sending the Light Infantry there make sense. If you expect to nuke most of the DMZ and enemy forces behind it any war, shock troops become much less important.
That's not to say they are being "sacrificed," but if North Korea can raise its status and gain support from Russia by sending them, it makes sense to do so. Note that a Russian victory will weaken the US and play into North Korea's diplomatic goals. Considering Russian officials have sometimes described the war in Ukraine as a war against NATO, it's easy to see how North Korean troops might be easily convinced to fight there, and thus be just as (or nearly as) motivated as they would be to fight against South Korea and American troops there.
That said, as much as it makes sense in one dimension, I myself think both that post and the grainy images being posted by pro-Ukraine accounts on Twitter don't amount to evidence. It's a possibility, but I'd like to see stronger evidence. Right now, the North Korean troop claims still give me Ghost of Kyiv vibes. Ukraine has incentive to play up the threat to put pressure on the US and EU for more assistance.
Obviously. Some other information I found says that North Korean troops in Ukraine (assuming they are actually there) are not fighting on the frontline, but rather they are in the rear in artillery, ATGM, tactical ballistic missile, EW, drone,... units.
If I may add to the above argument, I would suggest that another part is in the Far East. Not for combat, but for training to receive new equipment.
Don't fall for the most basic propaganda. It does not deserve to be mentioned/debunked, because that would imply it is important, it is not.
Motivation alone doesn't make a good offensive at all. If it really was them at Plekhovo, it strongly suggest some of their tactics are really updated, to at least the same level as Russia's.