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North Korean Troops Could Join Russia’s Next Assault on Kharkiv and Sumy, Says Ukrainian Intelligence
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
North Korean troops could be deployed alongside Russian forces in a possible new offensive on Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Sumy regions, according to Andriy Chernyak, a representative for Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) in an interview with Japan’s NHK on April 16.
North Korean military losses in Ukraine have already reached around 5,000 troops, with another 6,000 currently stationed in Russia’s Kursk region and potentially preparing for further deployment.
“The North Korean military initially launched a large-scale offensive and were immediately decimated by Ukrainian artillery and drones,” Chernyak said. “This forced them to change their tactics. Now they are moving in groups of one or two.”
He noted that North Korean soldiers have significantly evolved in their battlefield strategy. “Unfortunately, we can talk about evolution, about the successful training of North Korean troops,” Chernyak said.
According to Chernyak, North Korean soldiers have learned to operate drones, use electronic warfare tools, and have become adept at handling the weapons and tactics employed by the Russian military in Ukraine.
While observers expected a language barrier between North Korean and Russian troops, that has proven irrelevant on the battlefield. “North Korean troops receive an order or instruction, such as ‘reach this or that line,’ and then they move forward,” Chernyak explained. “After completing the task, they dig in at the position without maintaining constant communication with Russian forces.”
He emphasized that these North Korean units act as assault squads and do not need to communicate directly with their Russian counterparts during operations.
Chernyak also confirmed that Russian forces are weighing a renewed offensive against Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv regions. “We do not rule out that North Korean soldiers will be involved in these offensive operations,” he said.
He added that approximately half of the artillery shells used by Russia are now manufactured in North Korea. Pyongyang is also supplying missiles to Moscow.
“At first, these missiles were not very accurate and would land over 100 meters from their intended targets,” Chernyak said. “But now, they are landing much closer.”
Chernyak also warned that North Korean forces stationed in Kursk are gaining valuable experience in modern warfare, and are likely to transfer that knowledge back home.
He concluded that North Korea is a threat not only to Ukraine but also to the Asia-Pacific region.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials confirmed that one of the ballistic missiles used in the April 13 strike on the city of Sumy was a North Korean KN-23, a system modeled on Russia’s Iskander-M.
