The Daily Populous Thursday June 27th, 2024 morning edition
Authored by kyivpost.com and submitted by Robotoro23

Last week, President Vladimir Putin made an official state visit to the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea (DPRK) – North Korea, his first for almost a quarter of a century. As part of that visit Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a so-called defense pact in the North Korean capital on June 19.

The military treaty states: “In the event that any one of the two sides is put in a state of war by an armed invasion from an individual state or several states, the other side shall provide military and other assistance with all means in its possession without delay.”

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In response to that Pyongyang announced early this week that it will be sending troops in the form of a military engineering unit to support Russian forces on the ground in the Donetsk region. The troops are expected to arrive on the battlefield as soon as next month.

The DPRK has already supplied almost two million rounds of artillery ammunition, rockets for Russian multiple launch rocket systems and, it is alleged, ballistic missiles to support Putin’s forces since the two leaders met in Russia in September. The active participation of North Korean combat troops raises the specter of escalation to the conflict, especially as commentators think it will not go well for Pyongyang’s sappers on the battlefield.

Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said during a briefing on June 25 that North Korean troops were effectively being sent to their slaughter and questioned the wisdom of the deployment. He said, “I think that if I were North Korean military personnel management, I would be questioning my choices on sending my forces to be cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine – we’ve seen the kinds of casualties that Russian forces [have been taking].”

Other Topics of Interest ‘Hidden From Everyone in Pigsties’ – Russian Milblogger Reveals 'Punishment Basement' in Occupied Donetsk According to military blogger Guzenko (“The Thirteenth”), the published footage showcases one of the basements in the “Donetsk People’s Republic” where military personnel deemed guilty are kept.

He added that the US was monitoring what appeared to be ever-deepening military ties between the two countries.

Ilya Ponomarev, a former Russian member of parliament told the UK’s Daily Express that North Korea has become an important bridge between the Kremlin and China. Beijing can indirectly transfer military equipment to Moscow through Pyongyang without falling foul of Western sanctions.

As he explained: “North Korea is one of key Russian partners and the meaning of the rationale behind them becoming such a partner is because they are acting as a bridge between China and Russia.

“Essentially all the military equipment that is delivered from North Korea was developed for the North Koreans by the Chinese.

“China is cautious not to fall foul of secondary sanctions by the US, but North Korea is not in danger.

“So, there is no problem for the Chinese to assist North Koreans and then North Koreans to make trade with Russia and benefit from this both financially and in terms of military development.”

Michael Carpenter, a member of the US National Security Council commented, the day after Putin and Kim signed their defense treaty, that the coalition that Putin was building between Russia, North Korea, Iran and Syria stood in stark contrast to the group of 50 nations standing beside Ukraine in the “Ramstein” Defense Contact Group and the approximately 100 countries that supported the UN Charter principles in the Global Peace Summit held in Switzerland on June 15 and 16.

Successful_Ride6920 on June 26th, 2024 at 22:37 UTC »

All these foreign troops (North Korean, Nepalese, Indian, Sri Lankan, Cuban, multiple African nations, etc.) are due to Putin not wanting to conscript ethnic Russians in the St. Petersburg/Moscow regions, afraid of the consequences. Maybe that should be the goal, to make Russia go for mass conscription and see what the effect would be?

Wide_Canary_9617 on June 26th, 2024 at 22:06 UTC »

This is big news but they aren’t sending their whole army there. They are sending one engineering unit to the city of Donetsk to help build bridges + gain frontline experience

Robotoro23 on June 26th, 2024 at 21:49 UTC »

SS:

Last week, President Vladimir Putin made an official state visit to North Korea, his first in almost 25 years. During this visit, Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a defense pact in Pyongyang on June 19. The treaty states that if either country faces an armed invasion, the other will provide military and other assistance without delay.

In response, Pyongyang announced it will send a military engineering unit to support Russian forces in the Donetsk region, with troops expected to arrive as soon as next month. This marks an escalation, as North Korea has already supplied artillery, rockets, and possibly ballistic missiles to Russia since a meeting in September.

Former Russian MP Ilya Ponomarev noted North Korea's role as a bridge for military transfers from China to Russia, avoiding direct sanctions on Beijing. This indirect support involves China developing military equipment for North Korea, which is then traded with Russia.

This development raises concerns about further escalation in the Ukraine war and the implications of deepening ties and bridges between Russia - North Korea - China - Iran.