(CNN) – North Korean soldiers have been filmed receiving uniforms and equipment at a training camp in Russia’s Far East, where 1,500 soldiers from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) have been sent to Ukraine for military training.
In a clear sign of the close ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, North Korean soldiers are believed to be training before being sent to the front line in Ukraine.
In a video shared with CNN by the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, a Ukrainian government body, a long line of soldiers can be seen queuing to receive their uniforms. The players are believed to be speaking in Korean, although the poor quality of the audio makes it difficult to understand their conversations.
Upon arrival in Russia, North Korean personnel are asked to fill out a questionnaire indicating sizes for hats, helmets, uniforms and shoes. In a copy of the questionnaire shared with CNN, the top of the form is written in Russian, while the various scale options are written in Korean.
Another video circulating on social media, geolocated by CNN, shows troops arriving at the Serkievka training camp, located near Russia’s border with China. In the video, a Russian interlocutor can be heard saying in the background that “we can’t film them”: “There are more… millions are here. There are new reinforcements here. This is just the beginning. “There’s more.”
The tests appear to confirm Kiev’s concerns that North Korea is preparing to play a more direct role in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned of a growing alliance between Russia and North Korea, telling a NATO summit this week that “thousands” of North Korean troops are headed toward Russia.
“According to the information I have, they are preparing 10,000 soldiers, various types of soldiers, ground forces and technical personnel,” Zelensky told reporters, calling it an “urgent” fact he raised with the United States.
South Korean media had previously reported that North Korea would send a total of 12,000 troops, although the number was not included in the National Intelligence Service report.
This is the first time that North Korea has intervened significantly in an international conflict. Despite being one of the world’s largest armies with 1.2 million soldiers, many of its troops lack combat experience.
CNN’s Rob Picheta and Yoonjung Seo contributed to this report.
