Vladimir Putin’s recruitment of North Korean soldiers smacks of desperation and could spectacularly backfire, according to some Western military analysts.
After weeks of speculation, NATO chief Mark Rutte confirmed the deployment of soldiers from Kim Jong-un’s army to Russia.
The former Netherlands Prime Minister said North Korean soldiers had been sent to the Kursk front in Russia.
Previously, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service claimed 1,500 North Korean soldiers had arrived in Russia via Vladivostok.
However, some Western analysts believe the deployment shows significant weaknesses in Putin’s war machine.
In particular, they believe the Kremlin is running out of fresh recruits to replenish its battered military units in Ukraine.
John Foreman, a former British defence attaché to Moscow, told The Independent’s Tom Watling: “It’s a sign of desperation. They had to go to North Korea to bail them out for manpower and ammunition.
“It shows the weakness in the Russian military industrial complex and that they’re desperate for personnel.
“If you want to be a great power, you shouldn’t be kowtowing to North Korea.”
Investigations carried out by the Wall Street Journal suggest the soldiers are of very poor quality.
According to video and intelligence data, the men are under 20 and in the initial stages of their military service.
They also appear to be short and thin, suggesting they could be suffering from malnutrition.
The soldiers appear to be from units trained to operate in mountainous regions of Korea and are therefore ill-suited for warfare on the flat and open expanses that are found on the Russia-Ukraine border.
Putin and his North Korean counterpart Kim signed a security pact back in June of this year.
Under the terms of the agreement, Russia and North Korea have committed to coming to each other’s aid in the event of either country being attacked.
In early August, Ukraine launched a lightening incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, seizing around 500 square metres of territory.
Putin’s army has until bow struggled to expel Kyiv’s troops and regain control of the territory.
