Earlier this week, Putin submitted legislation to ratify the military agreement he signed with Kim, which promises that Russia and North Korea will help each other in case of “aggression” against either country.
The National Intelligence Service said North Korean troops are training at Russian bases in Vladivostok, Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk, and Blagoveshchensk.
This appears to confirm information that a military source in Russia’s Far East told BBC Russian this week that “several North Korean troops have arrived” and are stationed at one of the military bases near Ussuriysk.
The National Intelligence Service also released aerial photos of Ussuriysk and Khabarovsk, where hundreds of North Korean soldiers are said to have gathered, and photos of North Korea’s Chongjin Port, where Russian ships are known to be carrying North Korean soldiers.
The National Intelligence Service announced that it had confirmed that North Korea had sent 13,000 containers loaded with artillery shells, missiles, and anti-tank rockets to Russia since last August.
It was revealed that as many as 8 million 122mm and 152mm shells were supplied to Russia.
However, some military experts believe that the Russian military will have difficulty deploying North Korean troops to the front lines.
Aside from the language barrier, the North Korean military is said to have no recent experience in combat operations.
“They could protect some sections of the Russian-Ukrainian border, which would free up Russian units to fight elsewhere,” said Valeriy Ryabykh, editor of the Ukrainian publication Defense Express.
“I would like to rule out the possibility of these units appearing on the front lines immediately.”
Additional coverage by J. Kwon and Ho-su Lee from Seoul
