North Korean Soldiers Deployed To Russia - Next Stop, Ukraine?

North Korea may have sent troops to Russia to fight in Ukraine, here's what that means.

Today we're digging into what we know so far about the reports of North Korean troops headed to or already having arrived in Russia to fight in Ukraine. There are a lot of mixed stories with limited information so I'll try to sift through what we know, how key leaders are reacting and some possible use cases as to what this might look like going forward. Finally we'll get into how this will change the war in the short and long term.

[LackofFaithify]

Dude in the thumbnail is like, "I didn't know we had enough food to grow that size."

[jaxonl]

So russia can send North Korean troops to ukraine, but when the West sends anything, it's an ( escalation )

[robwalsh]

It might be tempting to laugh at Chinese and North Koreans fighting for Russia, but the ones who survive and gain combat experience warrant a pause for thought.

[edl]

It is funny how NK's capitol has 4 and 6 lane roads, but they don't have many cars. The country is such a poo hole.

[Erik_Ice_Fang]

Maybe the fact that Belarus straight up helped Russia letting them use their land to launch the initial attack and helped with their troop training has dulled people's perceptions of this new development.

[AdamAdamHDL]

This is actually very valuable experience for the North Koreans.

[escape]

Proud to share your channel with my family and friends, I think your content and delivery really are meaningful to whats going on. I like to note how these reports are well thought out and not reactionary but responsive. Thanks for being 💯% solid Preston!

[courtgantry]

From tiktok battalion to tapeworm battalion...

[shadowdragonsden]

Jake Broe makes a strong argument that these troops will not be allowed to return to North Korea because of all they will have seen of the outside world. Kim couldn't take a chance on the truth becoming more widely known. Therefore they are just more meat for the grinder.

[Whaabbb]

North Korea gives Russia a ground force? The free world gives Ukraine an airforce. Checkmate.

[Rayleonard]

South Korea considering going to war time production of ammo is a pretty big deal considering they have been trying to get into the European arms market with that joint venture with Poland so don't be surprised if you see some nice donations from them to Ukraine

[litare]

If north Korean special forces going to kursk isn't escalation then nato armies going in ukraine isn't escalation either

[ArcticVXR]

Lets hope that all of that cold water, running in the cold, punching ice blocks in half can stop Ukrainian bullets, artillery shells etc. Never understood those show off clips of armies.

[henrya]

It doesn't matter that soldiers from DPRK have no combat experience when they go to Russia because Russian men when they get conscripted at the start of their military careers also have no combat experience. They get some basic training before being assigned to combat units where they complete their training. While some may consider this an extreme form of on-the-job training it's how the armed forces of Russia have traditionally operated.
Not all DPRK soldiers sent to Russia need to end up on the front lines. Russia is a very big country and its armed forces are a vast organisation. DPRK soldiers could take on logistics roles (particularly in Siberia and the Far East) thus freeing up existing Russian soldiers to go fight in Ukraine.

Much will depend on what DPRK soldiers sent to Russia already know about the world outside of North Korea. Those sent to some remote installation are unlikely to be "contaminated" by ideas and concepts that are at odds with the indoctrination they have experienced all their lives.
The problem for the regime in Pyongyang will be what to do with those who have travelled beyond North Korea's borders and have realised for themselves that what they have been told all their lives is not strictly true...

[MrElliotc]

As always, thoughtful analysis, considering many variables. I'm really glad you do this important work.

[YukonianOrangutangInSpace]

There's real value in having a military with combat experience versus a military really good at parading around in class A uniforms.
So even if this isn't the development of something bigger, the Norks are going to have some officers and NCO (maybe) come back with real combat experience.

[victimsvice]

At this point we need to acquire some of those North Koreans for intel.

[evilwelshman]

8:00 12, 000 NK soldiers would still be potentially meaningful as it represents several battalions worth of soldiers; allowing Russian troops to be more able to rotate and rest. Language isn't much of a barrier as they could be deployed in larger formations (e.g. whole battalions) as opposed to being individually interspersed amongst Russian units. In which case, all that would be needed are a few liaison officers for the unit commanders.

[quinlanal-aziz]

The partnership between Putin and Kim is like when the school yard bully with no friends befriends the weird kid in the back of the classroom who stab’s himself with a pencil

[johan]

Finalyy I’ve been waiting for you to also report on this