AdvertisementNorth Korean troops in Russia help Putin beyond sheer manpower needs — they help him at home, too.
"The deployment of roughly 100,000 North Korean personnel would only replace Russian losses for less than three months," the think-tank wrote.
In total, that could mean 100,000 North Korean troops cycling in and out of combat within a year, he said.
The North Korean troops in Russia are believed to be special forces, which South Korean intelligence estimates say consist of about 200,000 members in total.
AdvertisementSeoul also says that Russia is paying about $2,000 a month for each North Korean soldier.
Persons:
Putin, ISW, Vladimir Putin, Kim, Russia's, Dmytro, Kim Jong Un
Organizations:
Putin, Kremlin, Institute for, Korean, Bloomberg, North
Locations:
Russia, The Washington, Moscow, Ukraine, Pyongyang, Kursk, Kyiv, North Korea, South Korea, America, Seoul, Korean, South