18 North Korean soldiers desert Russian frontline in Kursk and Bryansk

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The soldiers were stationed in Russia’s Kursk and Bryansk areas, just four miles from the Ukrainian border, when they fled. According to intelligence sources, Russian commanders are seeking to conceal the desertions from higher authorities while conducting the hunt.

This desertion comes after recent allegations that Moscow intends to deploy a battalion of North Korean troops sent by Kim Jong Un to support Russian forces in their struggle against Ukraine. According to Ukrainian media site LIGA, these North Korean troops are anticipated to take part in combat missions in Russia’s southern areas, where skirmishes with Ukrainian forces are underway.

The soldiers were supposedly forming a “special Buryat battalion,” named after the Mongolic ethnic group native to Siberia, northern Mongolia, and China. Pyongyang and Moscow have increased their military collaboration, signing a “comprehensive strategic partnership pact” earlier this year. This agreement, like NATO’s Article 5, commits both nations to providing mutual military aid if one is attacked.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun recently recognized the possibility of North Korean troops participating in the fight, citing reports of North Korean losses in Ukraine. According to intelligence sources, six North Korean officials were killed near Donetsk on October 3, illustrating Pyongyang and Moscow’s growing military connections.

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