Kyiv: Ukrainian Defence Intelligence released intercepted communications on Friday, revealing Russian soldiers expressing doubts about integrating North Korean soldiers into their ranks, particularly regarding command structure, ammunition and military gear. The leaked recordings capture Russian troops discussing these challenges, often disparagingly referring to the incoming North Korean soldiers, dubbed the “K Battalion,” with one Russian soldier even calling them “the f***ing Chinese.”
The intercepted dialogue includes one serviceman recounting an awkward encounter, describing another soldier assigned to “meet people,” who, unsure of how to proceed, reportedly muttered, “He came here and says what the f**k to do with them.”
According to Ukrainian intelligence, the encrypted transmission was intercepted on October 23. It further revealed that North Korean soldiers were scheduled to move on October 24 to the Postoyalye Dvory field camp in Russia’s Kursk region—a strategic area where Ukrainian forces recently made an incursion.
North Korean troop deployment plan under scrutiny
The intercepted recordings also disclose plans to assign one interpreter and three senior officers for every 30 North Korean soldiers, a decision criticised by Russian soldiers. In one conversation, a Russian serviceman questioned, “The only thing I don’t understand is that there [should be] three senior officers for 30 people. Where do we get them?” Another voice responds, “There are 77 battalion commanders coming in tomorrow, there are commanders, deputy commanders, and so on.”
The intercepts follow an announcement by Ukrainian military intelligence on Thursday that North Korean soldiers were observed in Russia’s Kursk region, an area close to Ukraine’s border where active hostilities continue. A statement on Ukraine’s official Telegram channel noted that North Korean troops, previously trained in Russia’s far eastern regions, have recently relocated to the western part of the country.
Russia-Ukraine conflict escalation warning
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he received reports from Ukraine’s commander-in-chief on North Korea’s troop movements, warning that Russia could begin deploying North Korean personnel into combat zones on October 27-28. “This is a significant escalation by Russia, unlike all the disinformation spreading around Kazan this week,” Zelensky said, taking aim at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent BRICS summit in Kazan.
The Kremlin initially dismissed reports of North Korean deployments but refrained from denying them outright during the BRICS summit. Meanwhile, North Korea, though it did not explicitly confirm the deployment, issued a statement Friday through state media asserting that any troop presence in Russia would be consistent with international law.
Zelensky said that North Korea’s involvement in combat requires more than “blind eye” reactions, urging “genuine pressure on both Moscow and Pyongyang to honor the UN Charter and curb further escalation.”
