Vladimir Putin’s troops are already encountering “difficulties” when it comes to working with their new North Korean allies in battle, according to the UK.
The Russian president struck up a new deal with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un in June known as the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty which came into effect on December 4.
The two isolated countries pledged to defend one another if attacked by a third party.
While neither side has confirmed it, intelligence suggests Moscow exercised the terms of the agreement after Ukraine seized the Russian region of Kursk in a cross-border incursion in August.
North Korea – also known as DPRK, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – has subsequently sent around 11,000 combat troops to Russia.
But the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) warned that it was not a seamless partnership.
The MoD said: “Russian and DPRK forces are almost certainly experiencing interoperability difficulties.
“The two forces do not share a common language and DPRK troops almost certainly have difficulties integrating into Russia’s command and control structure.”
Both sides have also reportedly been sending poorly-trained troops to fight in the war, which may only worsen their losses.
North Korean troops have “highly likely sustained significant combat casualties” already and “only achieved tactical gains”, the intelligence claimed in the latest update on X.
The MoD’s update comes after an unnamed US official suggested “several hundred” North Korean troops had already been injured or killed in combat since joining Russia.
But the UK intelligence officials said signs North Korean troops were now serving with Russia was a sign their partnership had “deepened”.
The MoD said: “For Russia, DPRK’s military support to their war in Ukraine has highly likely been the core driver for their partnership and has until recently, centred around North Korea’s provision of arms.”
Putin has been pushing his troops forward into Ukraine at a high rate of attrition for three years now, amassing an estimated 700,000 losses.
That is why he is now leaning on North Korean soldiers to bolster the Russian army’s ranks.
The MoD continued: “In return, DPRK has received high level international support from Russia and has secured a trading partner willing to break sanctions.”
Kim receives billions of dollars’ worth of food, oil, cash and advanced weapons system from Russia which will help it amid the international sanctions against his authoritarian regime.