North Korean troops seen being equipped in Russia ahead of likely deployment to Ukraine

By Isaac Yee, Victoria Butenko and Niamh Kennedy, CNN

(CNN) — North Korean soldiers have been filmed receiving uniforms and equipment at a training ground in Russia’s far east, appearing to confirm reports from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) that 1,500 soldiers have been shipped over for military training to be deployed in Ukraine.

The North Korean troops are thought to be receiving training before being sent to the front line in Ukraine, in what is thought to be a clear sign of the ever-warming relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.

In a video shared with CNN by Ukrainian government organization the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security, a long line of soldiers can be seen queuing to receive their uniforms. The soldiers are thought to be speaking Korean, although the low-quality audio prevented their discussions from being fully understood.

Upon arriving in Russia, the North Korean recruits have been asked to fill out a questionnaire providing their sizing for hats, headgear, uniforms, and shoes. In a copy of the questionnaire shared with CNN, the top of the form is written in Russian while the various size options are written in Korean.

Another video circulating on social media, geolocated by CNN, showed troops arriving at the Sergeevka Training Ground close to Russia’s border with China. In the video, a Russian speaker can be heard in the background saying “we can’t film them,” before adding: “There are more…there are millions of them here. Here are the new reinforcements. This is just the beginning. There are more.”

This evidence appears to confirm Kyiv’s long-held concern that North Korea has been readying itself for a more direct role in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had repeatedly sounded the alarm regarding Russia and North Korea’s deepening alliance, telling a NATO summit this week that “thousands” of North Korean troops were on their way to Russia.

“From intelligence that I have … they are preparing 10,000 soldiers, different soldiers, land forces, technical personnel,” Zelensky told reporters, describing it as an “urgent” development he had raised with the United States.

South Korean media previously reported that the North will send a total of 12,000 troops, although this figure was not included in the statement from the national intelligence service.

This could mark the first time North Korea makes a significant intervention in an international conflict. North Korea has one of the world’s largest militaries with 1.2 million soldiers, but many of its troops lack combat experience.

Multiple governments have accused Pyongyang of supplying arms to Moscow for its grinding war in Ukraine, a charge both countries have denied, despite significant evidence of such transfers.

The two nations, both pariahs in the West, have forged increasingly warm ties since Russia’s invasion.

During Putin’s visit to the North Korean capital in June, the two countries pledged to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event the other is attacked, part of a landmark defense pact agreed by the autocratic nations.

Putin said during that trip that the two countries were ramping up ties to a “new level.”

In remarks ahead of talks between the two, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un voiced his “full support and solidarity with the struggles of the Russian government, military and the people,” pointing specifically to Moscow’s war in Ukraine “to protect its own sovereignty, safety and territorial stability.”

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CNN’s Rob Picheta and Yoonjung Seo contributed reporting