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Pyongyang Says It Will Send Troops to Ukraine Within a Month

30 points by belter 2y ago

ttfkam 2y ago
Putin gets more boots on the ground and could potentially lessen the number of dead Russians to explain back home. Kim has more than enough boots to spare and gets a steady supply of resources for his resource-starved country, eg. food and raw manufacturing materials. Two pariah states pooling their resources. Goes along with the Iranian tech Russia has been using so far.
jarsin 2y ago
Sounds like a great opportunity to defect.
- belter 2y ago
  Not if your family stayed behind...
  - EA-3167 2y ago
    They wouldn't be the first defectors to take that hit and keep going, and those defectors weren't being used as cannon fodder in a foreign war.
- constantcrying 2y ago
  Sounds like literally the worst possible situation to defect. You are in totally foreign country, where you are trivially identified, can't hide and can't reach any other country which might support you. Additionally you are now a soldier who has defected, which obviously is an even worse crime than just defecting.
  - feoren 2y ago
    > can't reach any other country which might support you Isn't the obvious move here for Ukraine to airdrop pamphlets saying they'll warmly accept any defecting North Koreans?
    - constantcrying 2y ago
      I think you have enormous misconceptions about how war functions. >Ukraine to airdrop pamphlets Ukraine is currently not in a position to airdrop anything over anyone for some vanity project. The idea of the Ukraine penetrating Russian air space with the aim of dropping some paper leaflets is just ridiculous. And even if such a pamphlet gets dropped, a NK soldier miraculously finds it, what is he to do? If he defects, he has multiple days of marching to do to arrive at the Frontline, where any discovery means death, then he has to cross that front line and get to an Ukrainian post without getting shot by either side and explain some Ukrainian guy that he is a NK defector. The chances are just abysmal and the punishment for discovery are extremely high. It is extremely easy to imagine how this will end for any soldier, doing this legitimately takes mountains of stupidity.
  - petre 2y ago
    Additionally, the Kim regime is holding your loved ones hostage to torture in case you defect.
hindsightbias 2y ago
May be a feature for SK. Send aid to kill two birds with one stone?
mousepad12 2y ago
Can't find a single other source that claims this, is it real?
- AnimalMuppet 2y ago
  Well, Fox quotes the Pentagon as talking like North Korea is at least considering it. (I know, that's not quite the same thing.) https://www.foxnews.com/world/pentagon-threatens-north-korean-soldiers-cannon-fodder-sent-aid-russia-ukraine https://www.foxnews.com/world/pentagon-threatens-north-korea...
- r721 2y ago
  Here's a detailed fact check: >Fact check: North Korea has not announced plans to send troops to Ukraine — yet >While Russia and DPRK are boosting military ties, reports that Pyongyang said it will send troops within month are false https://www.nknews.org/2024/06/fact-check-north-korea-has-not-announced-plans-to-send-troops-to-ukraine-yet/ https://www.nknews.org/2024/06/fact-check-north-korea-has-no...
AnimalMuppet 2y ago
Let's see. Putin doesn't have enough ammunition. He doesn't have enough tanks. He doesn't have enough troops. So he's importing ammunition, importing troops, and pulling tanks from the 1970s out of storage. He could impose a conscription, but he hasn't. I suspect he can't - not without causing pushback. And he doesn't want that, because once the pushback starts, it may not stop... So I think Putin is maxed out. This may not be as much as he can get out of Russia, but it's as much as he dares.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- bugmenot43 2y ago
  He doesn't need to formally impose a conscription when military commisariats can effectively kidnap people and the propaganda can silence anyone who complains. What happens often is that they send notices, "Please arrive at the military commisariat building for the update of your personal data." Then, when the person arrives, "please sign here, or you will not be able to leave," on a notice to undergo a medical checkup by military medics. The medics ignore diseases and say "you are ready to serve" even when documents from state-funded hospitals are presented, proving the opposite. My own story: I live in the Philippines since March 7, 2022. According to Russian laws, just before 6 months of staying abroad, or before the planned trip that is expected to take more than 6 months, one must submit documents that prove that, and therefore, according to the Russian constitution, that one must not be counted for the purpose of recruiting into the army. I asked the local government officers for a certificate of residence and got it, albeit not confirming the initial period of my stay; they could only confirm the period since May 9, 2022 with their records. I also had a stamp in my passport confirming the date when I left. I submitted scans of both documents through the government portal, only to get, effectively, this in response: "According to our records, you are still in Russia. If this is not true, please come to the military commissariat closest to your registered address in Russia and submit documents in person. You have two days to do that." I didn't go there; therefore, my request was declined in the end, and they still claim the right to call me at any time for military service. It is not possible to go from the Philippines to Russia, given only two days, simply because there is no such flight. Also, it is not possible (as in: every postal service refuses to accept it) to send any postal mail from the Philippines to Russia, due to sanctions, so I cannot avail of the option to send these documents by registered post. Yes I understand that I must be jailed for this post. That's why the anonymous account.
euroderf 2y ago
Meanwhile China is mostly just enjoying the show.
- TheLoafOfBread 2y ago
  Ready to snatch Manchuria, when Russia will be at its weakest.
mikemitchelldev 2y ago
There's just a sliver of land where North Korea and Russia share a border but it could unfortunately mean a lot for Russia's war with Ukraine.
wkat4242 2y ago
Hmm sending a bunch of underfed brainwashed minions to the edge of the Western world where they can hear and see what the world is really like. If they survive of course. The ones that do return will have a different outlook on life. Wars always end up causing a mixture of cultures. This could eventually lead to a more open North Korea. Though I'm still hoping for a future sane leader eventually like what happened to the soviets with Gorbachev.
- RegnisGnaw 2y ago
  How would they hear and see what the world is like? They won't have access to telecom equipment.
  - MissTake 2y ago
    Word gets around awfully fast. Genies can’t be rebottled. It’ll just take word of mouth at first. Never underestimate the ability for the message to spread fast.
    - wkat4242 2y ago
      Yeah even Russian troops they interact with will mostly be pissed that they were forced to be there, I imagine.
- Viliam1234 2y ago
  They will probably send the ones they don't want to survive or return.
  - TheLoafOfBread 2y ago
    Those are usually unreliable.
- therobots927 2y ago
  I believe North Korea already sends its citizens overseas to work in construction. I’m pretty sure the North Korean elites keep pretty much all of the wages for themselves - that’s one of the ways they fund their nuclear program and lavish lifestyles.
maxglute 2y ago
Interesting times intensifies.
addicted 2y ago
Cannon fodder is nice and all, but Putin’s overtures to North Korea might lead South Korea to finally start sending military hardware to Ukraine which would be a game changer, considering S Korea is one of the cheapest and most effective manufacturers of many NATO weapons.
- decafninja 2y ago
  Most South Koreans are apparently against sending weapons. The current president and his administration, who is pro-American/Western alliances was recently rendered a lame duck and his party is likely to lose the next election. When that happens and the opposition party assumes power, it’s back to becoming adversaries with Japan and probably reducing, if not refraining, from sending further aid to Ukraine (assuming the war is still ongoing). As well as appeasing North Korea and China. How Russia plays into that appeasement will be interesting.
  - addicted 2y ago
    Yes and Russia promising to arm North Korea and support them in any battle may change that calculus very quickly.
    - decafninja 2y ago
      It’s really very complicated. There is a sizeable contingent of South Koreans that see North Korea as harmless, misguided brothers and sisters united by common blood. It’s unimaginable to them that their northern brethren would actually act out on their verbal rhetoric and threats. Many of these same people view modern Japan as a real mortal enemy just waiting to strike. Many of those fancy weapons South Korea develops? They’re just as intended to be pointed at a hypothetical hostile Japan as they are to North Korea. These people are mostly represented by the current opposition party, who already control the legislative branch, and will likely take the presidency.
MissTake 2y ago
Not sure how realistic this actually is. NK prides itself on keeping its citizens as isolated as possible from the outside world. If stationed in the Ukraine then they’re going to pick up an awful amount of information that will shake their worldview and I’d have thought making their reintegration back to the motherland exceptionally problematical at best. Even the Russians will happily have fun with their NK “chums” shattering everything they’ve been taught - because, why not?
- TazeTSchnitzel 2y ago
  The DPRK is already known to loan out its citizens abroad to do work, earning foreign currency that will be garnished by the state, effectively treating them something like slaves. This doesn't seem all that different.
- kelipso 2y ago
  NK has embassies in a bunch of countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_of_North_Korea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_of...

30 points by belter 2y ago

Putin gets more boots on the ground and could potentially lessen the number of dead Russians to explain back home. Kim has more than enough boots to spare and gets a steady supply of resources for his resource-starved country, eg. food and raw manufacturing materials. Two pariah states pooling their resources. Goes along with the Iranian tech Russia has been using so far.

jarsin 2y ago

Sounds like a great opportunity to defect.

belter 2y ago
Not if your family stayed behind...
- EA-3167 2y ago
  They wouldn't be the first defectors to take that hit and keep going, and those defectors weren't being used as cannon fodder in a foreign war.
constantcrying 2y ago
Sounds like literally the worst possible situation to defect. You are in totally foreign country, where you are trivially identified, can't hide and can't reach any other country which might support you. Additionally you are now a soldier who has defected, which obviously is an even worse crime than just defecting.
- feoren 2y ago
  > can't reach any other country which might support you Isn't the obvious move here for Ukraine to airdrop pamphlets saying they'll warmly accept any defecting North Koreans?
  - constantcrying 2y ago
    I think you have enormous misconceptions about how war functions. >Ukraine to airdrop pamphlets Ukraine is currently not in a position to airdrop anything over anyone for some vanity project. The idea of the Ukraine penetrating Russian air space with the aim of dropping some paper leaflets is just ridiculous. And even if such a pamphlet gets dropped, a NK soldier miraculously finds it, what is he to do? If he defects, he has multiple days of marching to do to arrive at the Frontline, where any discovery means death, then he has to cross that front line and get to an Ukrainian post without getting shot by either side and explain some Ukrainian guy that he is a NK defector. The chances are just abysmal and the punishment for discovery are extremely high. It is extremely easy to imagine how this will end for any soldier, doing this legitimately takes mountains of stupidity.
- petre 2y ago
  Additionally, the Kim regime is holding your loved ones hostage to torture in case you defect.

hindsightbias 2y ago

May be a feature for SK. Send aid to kill two birds with one stone?

mousepad12 2y ago

Can't find a single other source that claims this, is it real?

AnimalMuppet 2y ago
Well, Fox quotes the Pentagon as talking like North Korea is at least considering it. (I know, that's not quite the same thing.) https://www.foxnews.com/world/pentagon-threatens-north-korean-soldiers-cannon-fodder-sent-aid-russia-ukraine https://www.foxnews.com/world/pentagon-threatens-north-korea...
r721 2y ago
Here's a detailed fact check: >Fact check: North Korea has not announced plans to send troops to Ukraine — yet >While Russia and DPRK are boosting military ties, reports that Pyongyang said it will send troops within month are false https://www.nknews.org/2024/06/fact-check-north-korea-has-not-announced-plans-to-send-troops-to-ukraine-yet/ https://www.nknews.org/2024/06/fact-check-north-korea-has-no...

AnimalMuppet 2y ago

Let's see. Putin doesn't have enough ammunition. He doesn't have enough tanks. He doesn't have enough troops. So he's importing ammunition, importing troops, and pulling tanks from the 1970s out of storage. He could impose a conscription, but he hasn't. I suspect he can't - not without causing pushback. And he doesn't want that, because once the pushback starts, it may not stop... So I think Putin is maxed out. This may not be as much as he can get out of Russia, but it's as much as he dares.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
bugmenot43 2y ago
He doesn't need to formally impose a conscription when military commisariats can effectively kidnap people and the propaganda can silence anyone who complains. What happens often is that they send notices, "Please arrive at the military commisariat building for the update of your personal data." Then, when the person arrives, "please sign here, or you will not be able to leave," on a notice to undergo a medical checkup by military medics. The medics ignore diseases and say "you are ready to serve" even when documents from state-funded hospitals are presented, proving the opposite. My own story: I live in the Philippines since March 7, 2022. According to Russian laws, just before 6 months of staying abroad, or before the planned trip that is expected to take more than 6 months, one must submit documents that prove that, and therefore, according to the Russian constitution, that one must not be counted for the purpose of recruiting into the army. I asked the local government officers for a certificate of residence and got it, albeit not confirming the initial period of my stay; they could only confirm the period since May 9, 2022 with their records. I also had a stamp in my passport confirming the date when I left. I submitted scans of both documents through the government portal, only to get, effectively, this in response: "According to our records, you are still in Russia. If this is not true, please come to the military commissariat closest to your registered address in Russia and submit documents in person. You have two days to do that." I didn't go there; therefore, my request was declined in the end, and they still claim the right to call me at any time for military service. It is not possible to go from the Philippines to Russia, given only two days, simply because there is no such flight. Also, it is not possible (as in: every postal service refuses to accept it) to send any postal mail from the Philippines to Russia, due to sanctions, so I cannot avail of the option to send these documents by registered post. Yes I understand that I must be jailed for this post. That's why the anonymous account.

euroderf 2y ago

Meanwhile China is mostly just enjoying the show.

TheLoafOfBread 2y ago
Ready to snatch Manchuria, when Russia will be at its weakest.

mikemitchelldev 2y ago

There's just a sliver of land where North Korea and Russia share a border but it could unfortunately mean a lot for Russia's war with Ukraine.

wkat4242 2y ago

Hmm sending a bunch of underfed brainwashed minions to the edge of the Western world where they can hear and see what the world is really like. If they survive of course. The ones that do return will have a different outlook on life. Wars always end up causing a mixture of cultures. This could eventually lead to a more open North Korea. Though I'm still hoping for a future sane leader eventually like what happened to the soviets with Gorbachev.

RegnisGnaw 2y ago
How would they hear and see what the world is like? They won't have access to telecom equipment.
- MissTake 2y ago
  Word gets around awfully fast. Genies can’t be rebottled. It’ll just take word of mouth at first. Never underestimate the ability for the message to spread fast.
  - wkat4242 2y ago
    Yeah even Russian troops they interact with will mostly be pissed that they were forced to be there, I imagine.
Viliam1234 2y ago
They will probably send the ones they don't want to survive or return.
- TheLoafOfBread 2y ago
  Those are usually unreliable.
therobots927 2y ago
I believe North Korea already sends its citizens overseas to work in construction. I’m pretty sure the North Korean elites keep pretty much all of the wages for themselves - that’s one of the ways they fund their nuclear program and lavish lifestyles.

maxglute 2y ago

Interesting times intensifies.

addicted 2y ago

Cannon fodder is nice and all, but Putin’s overtures to North Korea might lead South Korea to finally start sending military hardware to Ukraine which would be a game changer, considering S Korea is one of the cheapest and most effective manufacturers of many NATO weapons.

decafninja 2y ago
Most South Koreans are apparently against sending weapons. The current president and his administration, who is pro-American/Western alliances was recently rendered a lame duck and his party is likely to lose the next election. When that happens and the opposition party assumes power, it’s back to becoming adversaries with Japan and probably reducing, if not refraining, from sending further aid to Ukraine (assuming the war is still ongoing). As well as appeasing North Korea and China. How Russia plays into that appeasement will be interesting.
- addicted 2y ago
  Yes and Russia promising to arm North Korea and support them in any battle may change that calculus very quickly.
  - decafninja 2y ago
    It’s really very complicated. There is a sizeable contingent of South Koreans that see North Korea as harmless, misguided brothers and sisters united by common blood. It’s unimaginable to them that their northern brethren would actually act out on their verbal rhetoric and threats. Many of these same people view modern Japan as a real mortal enemy just waiting to strike. Many of those fancy weapons South Korea develops? They’re just as intended to be pointed at a hypothetical hostile Japan as they are to North Korea. These people are mostly represented by the current opposition party, who already control the legislative branch, and will likely take the presidency.

MissTake 2y ago

Not sure how realistic this actually is. NK prides itself on keeping its citizens as isolated as possible from the outside world. If stationed in the Ukraine then they’re going to pick up an awful amount of information that will shake their worldview and I’d have thought making their reintegration back to the motherland exceptionally problematical at best. Even the Russians will happily have fun with their NK “chums” shattering everything they’ve been taught - because, why not?

TazeTSchnitzel 2y ago
The DPRK is already known to loan out its citizens abroad to do work, earning foreign currency that will be garnished by the state, effectively treating them something like slaves. This doesn't seem all that different.
kelipso 2y ago
NK has embassies in a bunch of countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_of_North_Korea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_of...