South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) claimed yesterday that North Korea has dispatched special forces to support Russia in its war against Ukraine. The report claims that the first batch has already arrived in Russia and a second group of North Korean troops is expected to follow soon. NIS said that it “confirmed that North Korea began its participation in the war by transporting special forces to Russia via Russian Navy transport ships from Oct. 8 to 13.” However, the Korea Herald reports that NIS provided no substantial evidence to support this claim, other than satellite imagery showing Russian vessels docked at the port of Chongjin in North Hamgyong Province.
The NIS claimed that four amphibious ships and three escort ships from the Russian Pacific Fleet transported around 1,500 North Korean special forces to Vladivostok during this period, departing from areas near Chongjin and Musudan-ri in North Hamgyong Province, as well as Hamhung in South Hamgyong Province. The NIS further stated that a second operation to transport North Korean troops to Russia is “expected to take place soon.”
