In light of the recent North Korea-Russia summit, which is expected to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries, there are speculations that North Korean soldiers will be mobilized for Russia’s tunnel construction for the attack on Ukraine.
Radio Free Asia (RFA) quoted an interview with Kyiv-based economist Alexey Kushch by the British media Daily Mail, stating, “The military engineers that North Korea is planning to dispatch are likely to be deployed for new underground tunnel construction.” Kushch said on the day, “According to various sources, there is a possibility that five North Korean engineer brigades will arrive in Donbas,” adding, “If that’s true, it could be the scale of more than 15,000 people.”
Kushch previously claimed that Russia has already successfully carried out tunnel operations near Avdiivka and Toretsk in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Although there were already tunnels in the Avdiivka area, the Toretsk area tunnel, about 2 miles long, was newly established during the war in Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday through Telegram that the Russian attack unit stationed in the Donetsk region had captured the main base of the Ukrainian military on the outskirts of Pivdenne using underground tunnels.
Based on past cases, Kushch evaluated that the North Korean military’s tunnel construction capabilities are outstanding. In 1971, North Korea constructed tunnels under the demilitarized zone for a coup de main operation against South Korea under the tunnel operation order of Kim Il Sung.
He emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin will embark on new tunnel construction to break through the stalemate in the war with Ukraine. The reason is that underground warfare using tunnels is a strategy that can minimize damage from drone and artillery attacks.
Bruce Bennett, adjunct senior international/defense researcher at RAND, told RFA that there is a high possibility that North Korea has already dispatched some tunnel technicians to Russia, mentioning the North Korean military has built tunnels in the solid granite of the demilitarized zone for decades.
Bennett stated that the most effective strategy to minimize damage involves launching infiltrating attacks from the rear side of the front line, where Russian and Ukrainian forces are currently engaged. He also suggested tunnel operations could be an interesting alternative for Russia.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Singh, the Department of Defense’s deputy press secretary, said on Monday that there is no confirmation regarding the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia.