Russia handed over anti-aircraft missiles to North Korea in exchange for North Korean soldiers

Russia supplied North Korea with anti-aircraft missiles — this is the "price" for sending North Korean troops to Russia for the war against Ukraine.

The Associated Press (AP) writes about this with reference to the words of Shin Wonsik, the adviser to the President of South Korea Yoon Sukyeol on national security issues.

Wonsik said on Friday that Russia had provided missiles and other equipment to strengthen the air defenses of the capital, Pyongyang.

According to him, Russia has also provided economic aid to North Korea and various military technologies, including those needed by the DPRK to create a reliable space surveillance system.

During a meeting with the leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un, Putin said that the Russian Federation is ready to help North Korea build satellites, writes AP. North Korea put its first spy satellite into orbit last November, but experts doubt whether the satellite will be able to produce images of military significance. North Koreaʼs attempt to launch a second reconnaissance satellite in May failed.

South Korea and the US are concerned that the Russian Federation may transfer nuclear and missile technologies to North Korea. However, during the telecast on Friday, an adviser to the South Korean president did not say whether Russia had already transferred such technology.

Participation of the North Korean military in the war against Ukraine

Ukrainian intelligence reported on October 24 that the first soldiers from the KDPR had already arrived at the front — in the Kursk region. There are approximately 12 000 military personnel, including 500 officers and three generals.

South Korean intelligence reported that the first part of the military was transported by ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet to Vladivostok on October 8-13, they were given Russian uniforms, weapons and fake Russian passports. Babel sources said that they are being prepared in such cities as Khabarovsk, Ussuriysk, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, and on the basis of the 11th separate airborne assault brigade of the Russian Federation, a "special Buryat battalion" staffed by citizens of the DPRK is being formed.

Russia has assembled a group of 50 000 soldiers for the offensive in the Kursk region. The North Koreans are trained in artillery fire, basic infantry tactics and, most importantly, trench clearing, the US officials say. This means that at least part of the military from North Korea will be used in frontal attacks on Ukrainian positions.

According to Bloomberg, North Korea may deploy up to 100 000 troops to help Russia in its war against Ukraine if the alliance between Pyongyang and Moscow continues to deepen.

WSJ wrote that a high-ranking North Korean general was wounded after a recent Ukrainian strike on Kurshchyna.

• North Korea and Russia have already ratified the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, which their leaders signed in June. It, in particular, contains a pact on mutual defense. During her visit to Moscow in early November 2024, the head of the North Korean Foreign Ministry stated that the leader of the DPRK Kim Jong Un had ordered to help the Russian army since the beginning of the great war.

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