Prepping for WWIII? North Korean Soldiers Training in Russia as Secretive Alliance Deepens Amid Ukraine War

A group of North Korean trainers from one of the country's leading military academies is en route to Russia.

This visit marks the first military exchange since North Korea and Russia signed a new military agreement during Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea last month.

As part of their mutual support deal, both countries agreed to "provide military and other assistance without delay by all means at its disposal,” Express reported.

North Korean media reported that the delegation is led by Kim Geum Chol, the head of Kim Il Sung Military University. Further details about the visit have not been disclosed by Pyongyang media, which comes just weeks after the new partnership agreement was signed.

Kim Il Sung Military University, named after the founder of North Korea and grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un, serves as a training ground for the nation's military officers.

Kim Jong-un himself attended the university while training to succeed his father as the country's leader.

As Russia faces heavy international sanctions over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, North Korea has gradually become a key weapons supplier to Moscow. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied engaging in weapons transactions.

However, last month, the head of a research organization tracking weapons used in Ukraine informed the United Nations Security Council that ballistic missile remnants found in Ukraine were irrefutably linked to North Korea.

Jonah Leff, executive director of Conflict Armament Research, provided a detailed analysis of the missile remnants that struck Kharkiv on January 2.

The analysis documented the missile's rocket motor, tail section, and nearly 300 components from 26 companies across eight countries and territories, determining that the missile was either a KN-23 or KN-24 manufactured in 2023 in the DPRK.

Never miss a story — sign up for the Front Page Detectives newsletter. Be on the scene the moment news breaks.

Leff stated, "Following the initial documentation, our teams inspected three additional identical DPRK missiles that struck Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia earlier this year."

They also identified additional conventional weapons, including a 1977-manufactured artillery rocket, previously unobserved on the battlefield in Ukraine, produced by Pyongyang.