Three-Armed Russian-Ukraine Troops Reportedly Ready To Reclaim Kursk From Ukraine

Ukrainian troops managed to break through the Russian Kursk region. (Wikimedia Commons/Mil gov ua)

JAKARTA - Russia has reportedly amassed large troops consisting of tens of thousands of people including North Korean troops who have just arrived to carry out an attack on Ukraine's position on the Russian Kursk region which is expected to take place in the coming days, a US official told CNN on Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday last week that about 11,000 North Korean troops were in the region, where Ukraine's three-month military offensive to Russian territory was halted.

A Ukrainian commander said yesterday North Korean troops took part in direct combat operations in Kursk, as well as defense operations in the Belgorod region adjacent to Russia and in Russia's occupied Ukrainian territory.

"Most of the tasks are defined as the second echelon of defense. In the Kursk region, this is a direct combat operation," he said, adding that among these personnel there were specialist artillery forces and snipers, quoted from CNN November 11.

These groups will be directly involved in combat operations in the short term in Ukraine. They will most likely appear in Ukrainian occupied areas as well," the commander said.

He further said North Korean troops were a "significant resource" for Russia's war in Ukraine, as those deployed to defend would free Russian troops for attack operations elsewhere and would eventually be used in direct combat.

"Miliarly, they numbered three brigades. Imagine now the enemy is attracting 10,000 soldiers from the second line of defense, placing soldiers from North Korea there, and sending these three brigades to one (place) where active hostilities are ongoing. Are these three full brigades a significant resource? Yes, that is a significant resource," he said.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that around 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops would take part in the attack.

North Korean reports sent troops to Russia began to appear last month, although the two countries rejected the allegations at the time.

It is known that Ukraine invaded Kursk territory during last summer, which shocked Russia, in the country's first invasion since World War II.

However, the Ukrainian attack did not stop Russia's progress in eastern Ukraine, where its military chief has warned its forces against "one of Russia's most powerful attacks" since the start of the war.