Moscow. North Korea has reportedly offered 100,000 ‘volunteer’ troops to help Russia attack Ukraine. Russian state media gave this information. “There are reports that 100,000 North Korean volunteers are ready to come and take part in the conflict,” Russian defense analyst Igor Korotchenko told Russian Channel One, according to a New York Post report. Describing the North Korean military as “experienced in anti-battery warfare”, the expert said Russia should wholeheartedly welcome North Korean troops and their proficiency in counter-battery. Counter-battery is the act of stopping or eliminating enemy fire support systems during combat.
“If North Korea wants to fulfill its international obligations to fight against Ukrainian fascism, we must allow them,” Korotchenko said. Korotchenko’s remarks came days after reports emerged that several Russian states were providing so-called ‘volunteer’ forces. However, some Western intelligence analysts have described the move as desperation on the part of Russia, indicating that Vladimir Putin lacks the political backing to order mass mobilization inside Russia.
Last month, the head of Britain’s intelligence agency MI6, Richard Moore, said the war effort against Russia was showing his “desperation”. During a question-and-answer session at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, he was quoted as saying, ‘Our assessment is that the Russians will find it difficult to obtain public support and supplies of material over the next few weeks.’
According to the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations, North Korea’s military is the fourth largest in the world with approximately 1.3 million active personnel. It has another 600,000 workers as a reservoir. According to CFP defense experts, North Korea works with outdated equipment and technology. South Korean newspaper ‘Daily NK’ reported that North Korea has offered workers to help Russia rebuild Ukraine after the war.
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Tags: north korea, Russia, Ukraine
First published: Aug 09, 2022, 21:43 IST
