Ukraine Identifies North Korean Generals Training Troops in Russia at UN Council

Ukraine publicly identified North Korean generals overseeing a military contingent of up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers currently training at five bases in Russia’s Eastern Military District, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya reported during a UN Security Council session on “Maintaining Peace and Security in Ukraine” in New York on October 30.

He added, that the contingent includes at least 500 North Korean officers, with three top generals from the North Korean General Staff:

• Colonel General Kim Yang Bok — Deputy Chief of General Staff for Special Operations,

• Colonel General Ri Chang Ho — Deputy Chief of General Staff and Head of Intelligence,

• Major General Shin Hem Chol — Head of the Main Operations Directorate.

According to Kyslytsya, North Korean soldiers are integrated into Russian military units and are expected to participate in combat operations in Ukraine.

Russia plans to form five battalion-sized units with 2,000 to 3,000 North Korean troops each.

They will be equipped with Russian uniforms, firearms, and identification documents to mask their foreign origin.

Kyslytsya added that North Korean troops would be embedded with Russian forces, including the “special Buryat battalion” within Russia’s 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade.

Between October 23 and 28, at least seven flights reportedly transported around 2,100 North Korean soldiers from Russia’s Eastern Military District to Russia’s border with Ukraine, with the total expected to reach 4,500 by early November. North Korean soldiers are anticipated to join combat operations in Ukraine next month.

Kyslytsya condemned this alliance, stressing that the deployment violates international law, the UN Charter, and multiple UN Security Council resolutions, remarking, “The active participation of North Korean troops in Russia’s war against Ukraine is dire news for the world. It is the most dangerous development in recent months with potentially far-reaching global consequences.”

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He also warned that North Korean soldiers would gain advanced warfare experience, possibly to be used in conflicts in the Asia-Pacific.

“It’s astonishing that, in the face of this military alliance between Russia and North Korea, some still naively believe that limiting Ukraine’s defense capabilities will somehow lead to peace. Such a stance is either naive or deeply cynical. Restricting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself may yield a temporary calm at Ukraine’s expense, but this is a scenario Ukraine will never accept,” Kyslytsya concluded.

Earlier, around 3,000 North Korean soldiers were reportedly moved to Russia’s Kursk region and stationed in barracks about 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border as of October 28.