NYT: 50 thousand Russian and North Korean military personnel are preparing for a major offensive in the Kursk region

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According to the New York Times, a group of 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops are preparing to launch a large-scale offensive in the Kursk region.

Source: The New York Times with reference to Ukrainian and American officials

Details: According to US officials, Russian troops are now attacking Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region with missile strikes and artillery fire, but they have not yet launched a major attack.

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Ukrainian officials said they expected such an attack involving North Korean troops in the coming days.

It is noted that the North Koreans are now training with Russian soldiers in the very west of the Kursk region.

As noted in the article, some US military and intelligence officials have become increasingly pessimistic about the prospects for Ukraine in general, noting that Russia is gaining ground gradually both in the Kursk region and in eastern Ukraine. Officials say the failures are partly due to Ukraine’s failure to address the pressing problem of not having enough troops.

One Western official said Ukraine’s surprise attack on the Kursk region in August had weakened its forces across the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, leaving them vulnerable to a Russian attack. But the official said that, in addition to US officials, Ukraine still has strong defenses in the Kursk region and may be able to hold on to those areas, at least for a while.

Western and Ukrainian officials said the arrival of North Korean troops represented a major increase after more than two years of war. According to US officials, North Korea has sent more than 10,000 soldiers to fight for Russia in the Kursk region. These troops will wear Russian uniforms and are equipped by Moscow, but will likely fight as their own separate units.

Ukrainian officials said Moscow provided North Korean troops with machine guns, sniper rifles, anti-tank missiles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

Russia trained the North Koreans in weapons fire, basic infantry tactics and, most importantly, clearing trenches, US officials said. This preparation indicates that at least some North Korean forces will be involved in frontal attacks on defense positions based in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian official said that the North Korean soldiers were divided into two groups – an attack group and a support group that would help in recovering territory from the Ukrainian forces.

US officials believe it will be difficult to dislodge Ukrainian troops, and Russian and North Korean troops are likely to suffer heavy losses similar to those suffered by Russia in eastern Ukraine. American and British military analysts estimate the current number of Russian military personnel killed and wounded at an average of more than 1,200 per day.

The North Koreans fight as light infantry, without using armored vehicles. And the current Ukrainian methods of artillery fire and drone attacks have been devastating for defenseless Russian troops, the publication writes.

However, if Russia gets emboldened, it may not stop at its border, but will try to push Ukrainian troops further back. According to US defense officials, it is not clear whether the North Korean government will allow its troops to conduct long-term operations in Ukraine, or whether they are planning only for a counterattack in the Kursk region. Some US officials believe that North Korea could order its troops to stop at the border while Russian troops advance deeper into Ukraine.

U.S. defense officials said they did not know if North Korea would send additional reinforcements. According to a senior Ukrainian official, Ukrainian intelligence had predicted that North Korea could send up to 100,000 troops.