Russians are transporting North Korean soldiers to the front in trucks with civilian license plates, a Russian officer told a colleague in a newly intercepted conversation, published by the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) on Sunday, Oct. 27.
In the call, officers of the 810th Separate Marine Brigade of Russian forces are trying to figure out who owns the truck which has civilian plates, was loaded with North Korean soldiers, and for which the driver lacked the documents necessary for a combat assignment.
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The truck’s license plate, numbered 497, “is a civilian number,” according to the first official. Since the vehicle had “no combat assignment,” the military police “became suspicious.”
“The military police stopped the KamAZ on the Kursk-Voronezh highway. KamAZ plate number 497, driver Svеridenko Andrey Valentinovich,” the Russian adds in the conversation, noting, “there's no combat order, nothing at all, the military police got alarmed.”
Later, the Russian officer concluded, “The issue was settled, he's helping the BMP guys (810th Marine Brigade) transport the Koreans.”
Svеridenko’s consignment of North Korean soldiers was destined for the Russian navy’s 810th Naval Infantry Brigade, which has been trying to roll back Ukrainian advances on the eastern edge of the Kursk salient around the village of Russkaya Konopelka.
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Earlier Russian troops stationed in the country’s Kursk region were reportedly discussing issues of how to integrate North Korean troops’ into local units, with the language barrier being one of the key issues, according to another intercepted call published by HUR on Friday.
As one Russian soldier explained, “They are already here learning with a translator.
“Brother, F**k, I’m already on the translator too. Go ahead, kill them all, [I have] 300 wounded, I need evacuation, we’re already translating this nonsense,” the Russian told his comrade.
Additionally, the soldier mentioned that the Kremlin planned to assign one translator and three Russian servicemen for every 30 North Korean soldiers. However, those on the call expressed doubts about the feasibility of providing Pyongyang’s newly arrived troops with Russian command personnel.
HUR said the number of North Korean troops deployed to Russia currently stands at around 12,000. This figure included 500 officers, among them three generals HUR Chief Kyrylo Budanov told The Economist on Tuesday.
North Korea is stepping in as Russia is grappling with heavy losses by providing the latter with personnel along with weapons and equipment, Kyiv Post sources in HUR said.
In return, Russia would provide North Korea with financial assistance and modern technologies to help the country develop its nuclear program and expand its nuclear arsenal, Budanov told The Economist.
Ukraine’s “I Want to Live” (Хочу жить) project, a HUR-operated surrender hotline, has called on North Korean soldiers sent to fight against Ukraine to surrender and avoid participating in combat operations.
Ukraine and South Korea both claimed in mid-October that Pyongyang had deployed troops to aid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, likely as a result of the mutual defense pact signed in June.
This is a developing story. Read more about North Korean troop deployments in Ukraine here.
Kyiv Post has previously reposted intercepted conversations that may violate Kremlin operational security and reveal the morale of Russian soldiers, their families, and ordinary citizens. Examples of the things Ukrainian eavesdroppers have heard can be found here:
‘The Chinese Are Here’ – Russian Troops React to North Korean Arrival
‘I Need to Get the Hell Out of Here’ – Russian Soldier Fears for His Life
‘I’d Rather Be Dead’ – Russian Soldier Says Commanders Flee and Own Snipers Kill Them
‘We Bury Them Right There’ – Russian on Moscow’s Tactic to Avoid Paying for Fallen Soldiers
‘Kyiv Never Bombed and Russians Are Dying’ – Russian Wife Complains About Kremlin
‘Half a Battalion Escaped to The Forest’ – Russian Soldier Blamed for Mass Refusal to Fight
‘We Lost 600 Men’ – Russian Reveals Horrific Losses and Behavior On Frontlines
‘All Our Guys Were Slaughtered’ – Intercepted Phone Calls Suggest Huge Russian Losses
‘He Started Shooting Us!’ – Intercepted Phone Call Reveals Russian Friendly Fire Incident
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