DPRK may send new units to Russia by summer - Estonian intelligence
There are reports that North Korea will send a new batch of soldiers to help Russia by the summer, as several thousand North Korean soldiers, who are fighting mainly in the Kursk region of Russia, have already been killed or wounded.
According to Censor.NET, citing ERR, this was reported by Colonel Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center.
He emphasized that Russian troops have not yet been able to drive Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk region, and the Ukrainian military still holds about half of the territory they initially seized.
"Fighting continues on the outskirts of this territory, where Russian troops have not made significant progress," he said.
He added that the Ukrainian military continues to hold the important logistics center of Sudzha.
Losses among the North Korean military fighting on the side of the Russian army in the Kursk region have already reached several thousand. Therefore, if the DPRK plans to maintain its presence in the combat zone, it will have to start rotating soldiers.
"And this week, there were reports that North Korea plans to send a new batch of soldiers by the summer. It is not known what their exact purpose will be, whether it will be to put into the fight new units in full force or to replace losses in units that are already fighting. Only time will tell," informed Kiviselg.
The heaviest fighting is still taking place in the Donetsk region, especially near Toretsk, Pokrovsk and Velyka Novosilka.
Kiviselg noted that Russian troops are making tactical advances along the entire frontline.
"The most critical situation at the moment is in Toretsk and Velyka Novosilka," he said.
According to him, Russian troops have only one northeastern district left in Toretsk, but even it is within the range of indirect fire of Russian forces.
And in Velyka Novosilka, Ukrainian forces are under the threat of encirclement, which "will probably force Ukrainians to withdraw from there in the coming days."
However, the Estonian intelligence officer noted that the biggest battles are taking place near Pokrovsk.
"The settlement is well fortified by Ukrainian forces and adjacent territories, so Russian troops are trying to bypass it and put pressure on Ukrainian units, creating a risk of encirclement," he said.
As a reminder, Ukraine's Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi emphasized that the successful counter-offensive in the Kursk direction last year was an important moral achievement for the military and society, giving hope for future victories.
