The last thing we knew about the war in Ukraine was two completely different news stories. On the Russian side, Putin raised his voice by announcing the renewal of its nuclear doctrine. A message that doesn’t need much translation for sailors. Meanwhile, Ukraine, desperate for lack of combat vehicles, made a radical decision: to grow cotton. Now we must add a new and uncertain page to the escalation of the war: North Korea has emerged.

News. A unit of North Korean military engineers has apparently been deployed to help Russia attack Ukraine with ballistic missiles, and according to senior officials in Kiev and Seoul, there are even fighters operating in occupied parts of the country who have already been killed. In fact, as one source in Ukraine explained to The Guardian, “There are dozens of North Koreans behind Russian lines and teams supporting KN-23 missile launch systems.”

Russian connection. Last April, we broke the news that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had a new toy in his garage: nothing more than an impressive armored limousine (it looked a lot like the Aurus Senat Limousine). Then something else was learned. The luxury car was not Kim’s whim, but a personal gift from Putin. Apparently, during the North Korean leader’s visit to Russia in September last year, the Russian President had already shown him the inside of the limousine.

Russia’s shipment took place in February, and the Kremlin’s claim is that Kim Jong Un liked it when he saw it. Of course, the gift is not insignificant. As Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later reported, “North Korea is our close neighbor, so we plan to continue developing relations with them.” In the background were accusations that the United States and North Korea were supplying bullets and missiles for the war in Ukraine; At the time, both Pyonyuang and Moscow denied this claim.

Masks are out. The news that came a few hours ago seems to make the scenario a little clearer. Already last year and after Jong-un’s visit to Russia, there was talk of ever-deepening connections with a secret arms deal. Now The Guardian newspaper is talking about the vital munitions shipment from Pyongyang that allowed Russian forces to advance in the war of attrition in eastern Ukraine in the summer.

In any case, it is increasingly clear that the agreement goes beyond the supply of materials. According to South Korean and Ukrainian officials, all indications now are that North Koreans were among those killed after Ukraine’s missile attack on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk last week; However, it is not clear whether these people are military engineers or other forces.

First. If approved, the Ukrainian War will gain another dimension. The existence of foreigners fighting as mercenaries is known, but if the North Koreans officially take to the field, it would be the first time a foreign government has sent uniformed troops to support Moscow’s war.

Meanwhile, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun told lawmakers in Seoul this week that it was “very likely” that North Korean officers were assigned to fight alongside the Russians and that many people died in the attack, but he did not provide information on this. more details. Andriy Kovalenko, Director of the Ukrainian Center for Combating Disinformation, said that some North Koreans died in Russia.

North Korean weapons. News from the Ukrainian side only confirms the presence of the North Koreans in the war. On Wednesday, the Ukrainian military said it destroyed North Korean ammunition in an attack on a warehouse in the Bryansk region, 120 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Pyongyang is estimated to have supplied about half of the largest-caliber ammunition used on the battlefield this year, more than 2 million rounds, a Ukrainian source told The Guardian. They also reportedly provided KN-23 missiles used in dozens of attacks in Ukraine last winter, according to Ukrainian media. After a break of several months, they were reassigned starting in July.

KN-23 is a short-range ballistic missile that was first tested in 2019 and has been compared to Russia’s Iskander-M missiles. It is thought to have a range of approximately 450 kilometers while carrying a 500 kg warhead.

Image | Public domain, GoodFon

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