Motivated and highly secretive: what is known about the 2,000 special forces fighters that North Korea has handed over to Russia.

North Korea has established Special Operations Forces (North Korean Special Forces) units comprising 200,000 troops trained for combat against South Korea. The soldiers have undergone specialized training, with some footage appearing on social media. The videos show them breaking bricks with their feet and enduring hammer blows to their stomachs. North Korean special forces are currently "acclimatizing" in the Russian Far East and may soon find themselves on the battlefield in Ukraine. The secretive and motivated North Korean special forces were discussed by The Telegraph.

Journalists noted that North Korean military personnel were spotted at military training grounds in Russia near Vladivostok. It is expected that they will be issued Russian military uniforms, undergo specific training, and be sent to the Russia-Ukraine war. Regarding whether to be wary of North Korean fighters, the publication analyzed reports from the U.S. Department of Defense, data from South Korea, and insights from analysts. It is emphasized that these units are highly classified, thus there is only limited intelligence available from the West.

Details of Cooperation Between North Korea and Russia

It has been revealed that the North Korean Special Operations Forces are estimated to consist of approximately 200,000 personnel, as stated in a special report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency from 2021. For comparison, the U.S. has 2,000 special operators, while the UK has 500. The North Korean government created these forces for special attacks on South Korea. The composition includes 8 special operations battalions, 17 reconnaissance battalions, 9 light infantry brigades, 8 sniper brigades, 3 airborne brigades, 1 airborne battalion, and 2 landing brigades.

The North Korean special forces have demonstrated their capabilities in several operations known to Western intelligence. One such operation occurred in 1968 and was called "Blue House": during the attack on the South Korean government residence, 28 out of 31 attackers were killed. Additionally, troops may have been sent to Syria to assist Bashar al-Assad.

"The North Korean special operations forces are well-trained, motivated, and equipped with the best available gear for a pariah state like North Korea," a Pentagon spokesperson explained.

In 2017, North Korean special forces were observed at a ceremonial parade in Pyongyang, carrying a rifle resembling a grenade launcher, which American intelligence officer Michael Pregent described as a fake and non-existent weapon. Furthermore, the fighters were distinguished by black sunglasses, black camouflage, and helmets with night vision devices. They undergo superior training and possess the best equipment, including gear for chemical and biological protection, according to the Pentagon report. The British private intelligence firm Gray Dynamics reported that the North Korean special forces are allegedly provided with superior weaponry.

"SOF aims to be 'highly trained forces equipped with the best available gear for dangerous yet crucial missions,'" journalists quoted analyst Maxwell Goldstein from Gray Dynamics.

On the other hand, analysts explained that North Korea's achievements are high by the standards of a country under sanctions and isolated from the world. If we apply a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 represents the special forces of the U.S. and the UK, North Koreans would score no higher than 5, said Ahmed Hassan, CEO of Gray Dynamics, to the journalists.

It is worth noting that in October, Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, confirmed Western intelligence reports that North Korea shared with Russia military personnel who would fight against Ukraine. Following this, a video surfaced online showing North Koreans at a training ground near Vladivostok.

We remind you that on October 18, the National Intelligence Service of South Korea (NIS) reported that a special operation was prepared in Moscow to camouflage the appearance of North Korean fighters on the front lines.