Video shows possible North Korean troops at Russian training center

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Video shows possible North Korean troops at Russian training center

Published: 19 Oct. 2024, 22:24 Updated: 19 Oct. 2024, 22:49

The footage posted on X, formerly Twitter, by the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine on Oct. 19 shows what appears to be North Korean soldiers receiving gear from Russian soldiers. [YONHAP]

A video shared by a Ukrainian government-affiliated organization on Saturday showed what appeared to be North Korean soldiers preparing for deployment at a Russian military training center, amid growing concerns over the North's plan to send thousands of its soldiers to support Russia in the Ukraine war.

In the footage, scores of Asian soldiers speaking with a North Korean accent receive gear at the Sergievsky Training Ground in Russia's Far East, according to the post shared by the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine on X, formerly Twitter.

It has yet to be verified whether the soldiers in the 28-second video are actually North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia.

The footage comes just a day after South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed that North Korea has decided to send around 10,000 troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine and has already begun deployment.

The NIS said that Pyongyang began transporting its special forces troops to Russia from Oct. 8 to 13, with approximately 1,500 North Korean soldiers transported during the first phase, using four amphibious landing ships and three escort vessels owned by Russia.

Fake identifications disguising them as locals were also provided, apparently to conceal their participation, by making them appear as part of the Russian forces, it added, projecting the soldiers to be sent to front lines after their adaptation training.

The development marks the latest in deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, in addition to their suspected arms trade condemned by the international community.

Yonhap