North Korean soldiers stationed in the Kursk region of Russia have expressed significant dissatisfaction due to food shortages, according to reports.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) revealed on its website that a Russian general had been sent to the Kursk region to address the food shortage issue affecting North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia.
The HUR reported that many of the North Korean soldiers stationed in the region have been receiving insufficient food, leading to growing discontent.
To resolve this issue, Russian authorities dispatched Major General Mevlyutov, the deputy commander of the Leningrad Military District’s resource supply unit, to the Kursk region.
The Russian general issued an order for North Korean soldiers to receive individual rations from the food reserves of the Russian 11th Airborne Assault Brigade.
Furthermore, the HUR reported that the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia continues to expand.
Soldiers from the North Korean 92nd and 94th Special Forces are now involved in combat alongside Russian forces, including the 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment, the 810th Separate Marine Brigade, and the 11th Airborne Assault Brigade.
Earlier, Andriy Chernyak, a representative of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry Intelligence Directorate, stated in an interview with Radio Free Europe that 2,000 out of the 11,000 North Korean troops deployed to the war in Ukraine had been assigned to Russian units.
Chernyak mentioned that these 2,000 North Korean troops are assigned to Russian Marine Brigades and Airborne Divisions.
South Korea’s then-Defense Minister, Kim Yong-hyun, stated on November 28 that North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia are not serving in independent units but are instead integrated into Russian military forces.
He confirmed intelligence that suggests a North Korean squad is being assigned to each Russian company, which indicates that the North Korean troops are fighting under Russian command.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, when asked by RFA for comments on the HUR’s report about food shortages and North Korean troops’ dissatisfaction, declined to provide a response.
BY YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]
