388
submitted 1 month ago by Hubi@feddit.org to c/world@lemmy.world

A battalion of 3,000 North Korean soldiers will shortly join Russian troops in fighting Ukraine, marking Pyongyang’s full entry into the war.

Intelligence sources said the unit has been secretly training in Russia’s Far East ahead of deployment as part of a Russian airborne regiment.

“They are called the Buryat Battalion,” a senior Ukrainian military source told Politico. Buryatia is a remote region of Russia bordering Mongolia that the Kremlin has targeted heavily for military recruitment.

The Kyiv Independent quoted another Western intelligence source claiming that North Korea had sent 10,000 soldiers to join the Russian army.

(...)

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 110 points 1 month ago

Ok, it's only fair if Poland gets to join too.

[-] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 33 points 1 month ago

Better give Poland some nukes for parity

[-] Montagge@lemmy.zip 61 points 1 month ago

If the invasion of Ukraine hasn't taught everyone that the only way to not get invaded is to have nukes I don't know what will.

Seriously - I’m genuinely baffled at the complete geopolitical ineptitude that occurred in 2014. It was a categorical abrogation of the Budapest Memorandum, which guaranteed Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty in exchange for their surrender of old Soviet nukes based in their territory.

Nobody is going to make a deal like that going forward. The nuclear non-proliferation movement is entirely dead. Nukes are, categorically, the absolute final word in guaranteeing a country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. There is no substitute. Genuinely, the complete and total lack of meaningful action in the defense of Ukraine was the most apocalyptically stupid geopolitical move that Obama and Merkel made during their stints as leaders of the western world.

[-] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago

Yup. Going to hell in a hand basket.

load more comments (3 replies)
[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 month ago

Honestly, no it's also done the opposite. Ukraine has passed so many of Russia's "red lines" that it shows nukes are useless too. The only time a nuke is useful is when you've already lost. If you use one then you get a lot of other groups attacking you, and potentially you get nuked yourself. You can't actually really use one in defence.

The only way to not be invaded is to be stronger than your potential opponents. Si vis pacem, para bellum. (If you want peace, prepare for war.)

[-] Maalus@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

It hasn't done the opposite. It has slowed response from the US and other countries significantly. For some things the US still doesn't want to give Ukraine permission. Sure, Poland was giving tanks almost immediately after the war started, showing the hole in logic. But a lot of other countries went for "non leathal aid" like body armor, helmets. They only sent more after a year or so. Truth is, if Russians got Kiev and got Ukraine to capitulate after like 6 months, they'd only gain on the landgrab, with no consequences other than sanctions (which we see how they don't really have the impact they should have and are skirted constantly). Decade or two in the future? Relations would probably be strained still, but returning to normal.

Appeasement is sadly the way of the world. That's why Hitler, Stalin and now Putin were so successful.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
[-] Saff@lemmy.ml 101 points 1 month ago

Any North Korean soldiers captured should be held prisoner in some Scandinavian prison and fed nothing but the most decadent and tasty foods. Then when the war is over send them back to NK fatter than Kim Jon Un. That would be a real power play.

[-] interurbain1er@sh.itjust.works 65 points 1 month ago

You can't serve Scandinavian food to prisonners it is forbidden by the Geneva convention.

[-] lengau@midwest.social 43 points 1 month ago

If meatballs and mashed potatoes with lingonberry sauce are against the Geneva convention it's probably time we had on Oslo convention.

[-] Aceticon@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

Smorgasbord all day every day would be Tortute!

[-] Klear@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago

Because it causes Stockholm syndrome?

[-] thawed_caveman@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

I was kind of on board with that idea, but now i'm100% on board

[-] EpeeGnome@lemm.ee 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

You're thinking of Scandinavian regional delicacies and certain seasonal special dishes, none of which I've ever had the misfortune of smelling, and serving those to prisoners does sound pretty inhumane. All Scandinavian food outside of those that I've tried or heard of tasted or sounded delicious.

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] Kbobabob@lemmy.world 73 points 1 month ago

Lmao, I just saw an article on here about NK soldiers abandoning the front lines. That didn't last long

[-] WanderingVentra@lemm.ee 28 points 1 month ago

Why fight die for some other country's pointless war? If I was there, I'd leave, too.

I'd also encourage any US troops who are sent off to fight for Israel in the future to do the same lol.

[-] Mubelotix@jlai.lu 18 points 1 month ago

Because someone's watching you with a gun to your head. Deserting is hard

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 10 points 1 month ago

But also you're holding a gun.

load more comments (6 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 49 points 1 month ago

Ukraine's about to get a lot of defectors...

[-] sqibkw@lemmy.world 38 points 1 month ago

Unfortunately many North Koreans already leave the country to work as slaves for construction companies, factories, etc (including in Europe). Generally they only allow people out who have families back home to be tortured/killed in case they defect.

They will probably get some, but less than you might expect.

[-] Maggoty@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago

There's a pretty big difference between construction work and human wave tactics in a warzone. Different levels of motivation to defect.

[-] ammonium@lemmy.world 26 points 1 month ago

And different opportunities, going MIA on a construction site is suspicious, but during war? Who can tell whether they defected or died?

[-] Maggoty@lemmy.world 46 points 1 month ago

What Russia likes about North Korean Soldiers in Ukraine: Manpower!

What North Korea likes about North Korean Soldiers in Ukraine: Money!

What North Korean Soldiers like about North Korean Soldiers in Ukraine: Freedom!

[-] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 42 points 1 month ago
[-] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 28 points 1 month ago

I mean why wouldn't they?

Koreans have no beef with Ukraine. They're fighting in a war for a paycheck.

But they're probably seeing wartorn Ukraine, with bombed out buildings and roads, and going, "Well shit this place looks better than home" and leaving.

[-] And009@reddthat.com 7 points 4 weeks ago

Fighting in war for paycheck

Kim doesn't operate that way, he's got of a 'don't die or I'll kill your family and put the relatives in jail' energy

[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 34 points 1 month ago

The great Russian army. The great russian army with the best weapons and tanks and soldiers.

What a paper tiger.

BTW it's rumored that they are running out of both tanks and bmps. If trump doesn't win (if he does, it will just take longer) the whole russia will collapse like the soviet union did in 1991. The ruble is already in free fall, inflation at 20%, the economy is overheating and fewer and fewer young people left to work or be killed.

I just hope it crumbles as soon as possible but I guess this insane war has to drag on for some 6 months to a year.

[-] Maalus@lemmy.world 30 points 1 month ago

I mean you list all of that and ignore the biggest elephant in the room. 40% GDP spent on the war.

[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

Or more.

Just to be clear, the war economy will hasten the downfall of Russia (they no longer publish inflation numbers, rumours are they are way over 20% maybe even at 40%. The central bank is already lending at 19% which is crazy) but it won't help much with tanks and btrs, as the vast majority of the "new" ones are refurbished ones pulled out from long time storage, and even the "bad" ones are drying up, it's impossible to know but it could be the end of both tanks & btrs this month or next month or so.

Russia builds just a handfull (less than 10) every month, they almost lose that many every day.

[-] blackn1ght@feddit.uk 19 points 1 month ago

BTW it’s rumored that they are running out of both tanks and bmps.

I feel like people have been saying this for about 2 years. We should believe it when we see it.

[-] Maalus@lemmy.world 16 points 1 month ago

We do see it lol. There are people who get satellite photos of tankyards in Russia. They pay Google to take a new photo over a specific base, count the tanks, armored vehicles and trucks, and make a youtube video about it. Russia is losing an enormous amounts of tanks. They can't retrofit enough of the old stock to keep up with the losses, let alone produce new tanks.

[-] derGottesknecht@feddit.org 9 points 1 month ago

Look Up covert cabal on YouTube. He works together with a guy called himarsed to painstakingly count tanks, bumps and other stuff on commercial satellite imagery and regularly posts updates on the Russian arsenals. And they are pretty empty now

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] realitista@lemm.ee 12 points 1 month ago

Dictatorships can take a lot of abuse before falling apart. Look at North Korea. People are starving and still that fuckers in power.

[-] Maalus@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

Dictatorships only stand because of the military. The military which is currently being slaughtered en masse in a war they didn't need. We are one week "where decades happen" away from Russia colapsing. Shit like Prigozin, like Kadyrov launching a blood feud, etc.

load more comments (4 replies)
[-] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 34 points 1 month ago

With the current attrition rate of Russian forces, these 3K troops will likely be expended in ~2.3 days..

[-] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 34 points 1 month ago

Hopefully this isn't the stsrt of turning this into a larger conflict that spills into other countries.

[-] whostosay@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

This is exactly that

[-] Matriks404@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

Wait for US fighting Iran and these two wars merging.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] aggelalex@lemmy.world 29 points 1 month ago

What a great opportunity for those north Koreans to defect to Europe

[-] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 26 points 1 month ago

Soooo… is it a world war yet?

[-] Omgpwnies@lemmy.world 34 points 1 month ago

World special military operation

load more comments (5 replies)
[-] abbiistabbii@lemmy.blahaj.zone 24 points 1 month ago

You can tell Russia's desperate because they've got the North Koreans involved.

[-] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 month ago

I wonder how many of them are going to just defect?

[-] harrys_balzac@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 1 month ago

So far 18 of the advance party. Unverified by Russia and North Korea though.

[-] Etterra@lemmy.world 8 points 4 weeks ago

Translation: Putin needs more people for the meat grinder without making his people madder at him.

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2024
388 points (97.3% liked)

World News

39021 readers
1310 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS