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GEOPOLITICS RUSSIA AND NORTH KOREA The Military Show: Kim FOOLED Putin PLAY YOUTUBE VIDEO Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vFuySdbZZo Peter Burgess COMMENTARY While I have been critical of American (US) foreign policy for most of the last 60 years, I have not done much to change it and improve it. 'Mea culpa' for this! It is easy to 'poke fun' at Vladimir Putin (Russia) and Kim Jong Un (North Korea), but they are a long way from 'losing' the war in Ukraine. I have been impressed by the military performance of the Ukrainians. I am less than impressed by the support that has been mobilized by the USA and others in NATO and the broader Western alliances. Most of the material support has been too little, too slow and with too many constraints on use. I get the impression the Pentagon in DC is engaged in 'armchair' analysis more than a very hot war! And I am not encouraged by the track record of the Pentagon since WWII. They have spent money at enormous scale for decades and in the end the money has gone and the good results are difficult to find. The idea that Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un are in the same league as the USA should be laughable ... but they might turn out to be the winners! Peter Burgess
Kim FOOLED Putin The Military Show Dec 20, 2024 1.27M subscribers ... 2,507,523 views ... 35K likes #themilitaryshow #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis In June 2024, Russia and North Korea signed a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” with big promises of a “multipolar new world order.” But behind the lofty rhetoric lies a shocking reality. North Korea sent thousands of untrained, malnourished soldiers to support Russia’s struggling war in Ukraine, creating chaos instead of solutions. Explore how Kim Jong Un fooled Putin, turning these troops into cannon fodder while boosting his own regime. Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: / @themilitaryshow #militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis #themilitaryshow SOURCES: https://pastebin.com/sSF4vtcm ATTRIBUTIONS: https://pastebin.com/rP0Vm5wX Transcript 0:00 In June 2024, two nations inked a deal that made the world shudder. Dubbed the “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” this wasn’t just another pact barely worth the paper it was printed on. It was a declaration of defiance against the U.S. and its allies, wrapped in grandiose promises of a “just and multipolar new world order.” Sounds noble, right? Not when you know the players involved. Russia and North Korea. On one side, you’ve got Russia, a pariah state stumbling under the weight of its disastrous Ukraine war. On the other, North Korea, a nuclear-armed hermit kingdom ruled by a man with policies as striking as his haircut. But somehow, in this cruel, chaotic world, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un found each other – a match made in authoritarian heaven. Before the pact between the world’s most volatile dictatorship and the world’s most belligerent wannabe superpower was even ratified, North Korea sent over 10,000 troops to Russia, a move NATO immediately branded as a “dangerous escalation.” But little did NATO – and even Putin – know, there was absolutely nothing dangerous 1:01 about these troops. Think less “battle-hardened warriors” and more “poorly rehearsed extras in a military parade.” It immediately became clear that Kim didn’t send his best. He sent his leftovers. And Putin? He fell for it. Let’s break down this massive joke played on Putin and its implications for the war in Ukraine. To understand just how this farce unfolded, we need to look at these North Korean troops in more detail – where they are, what they’re doing, and why Putin thought they were the answers to his problems. Though different figures have been thrown around for weeks, the latest estimates put the total number of North Korean soldiers in Russia at around 11,000. According to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (GUR), about 2,000 of them have joined Russian units, while the remaining 9,000 act as a reserve force in what appears to be a strategy to fill secondary positions. These roles include guarding checkpoints, digging fortifications, and holding observation posts – tasks that free up Russian soldiers for frontline combat. However, some reports suggest this could be just the beginning. Ukrainian intelligence speculates Pyongyang could send up to 100,000 troops in the future. Now, 2:02 this would undoubtedly be an unsettling prospect if it weren’t for how utterly useless these troops have proven to be. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. These North Korean troops reportedly started arriving in Russia in October, then traveled another 4,000 miles from Vladivostok to Kursk. The Kursk region is also where most of these troops have taken up positions, working alongside Russian units like the 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment and the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade. Reports suggest that Russia has amassed a combined force of 50,000 soldiers, including the North Koreans, with a single goal – retake the territory seized by Ukraine during its summer offensive. The North Korean element aligns with Putin’s attempts to solve Russia’s ongoing manpower crisis without triggering a politically risky mass mobilization. With casualty estimates nearing 762,000 and recruitment struggling to keep pace, Putin simply needs every extra soldier he can find. But you know what they say – be careful what you wish for. Sometimes, having no soldiers might be better than inheriting an army so inept it’s practically a liability. And 3:02 Putin is learning this lesson as we speak. You see, the soldiers sent to Russia are nothing but North Korea’s rejects – clumsy, unfit, and completely unqualified. They’re less of an army and more of a collection of military misfits. But this shouldn’t be surprising to anyone familiar with the North Korean military. Sure, North Korea might have 1.3 million active-duty personnel, making it one of the largest armies in the world. However, that’s all Kim cares about – quantity. It’s certainly not quality. The entire structure of the North Korean military is designed around brute manpower, not modern warfare. Training is minimal and outdated. So much so that some of the North Korean soldiers sent to Russia couldn’t even hold a rifle without dropping it. Of course, there’s nothing shocking about this, given that their training is also limited by severe shortages – fuel, ammunition, and modern equipment are all in critically short supply. Defectors from North Korea often reveal that many soldiers spend more time farming potatoes than firing weapons, as they are regularly diverted to boost the struggling civilian economy. Even the special operations units – the so-called elite – don’t fare much better. Their equipment is 4:02 often unavailable due to supply chain breakdowns caused by international sanctions and internal mismanagement. The absurdity of deploying such troops was laid bare in intercepted Russian communications, where one frustrated soldier exclaimed, “What do we do with them?” This sentiment – augmented by an expletive or two – speaks volumes about the combat readiness of the North Korean troops. But let’s be honest – North Korean soldiers still have it worse than their Russian counterparts. After all, they’re practically skeletons – walking embodiments of the country’s chronic food crisis. So, it’s no wonder the North Koreans in Russia can’t complete some basic physical tasks like jogging just 65 feet. Of course, this is no anomaly among a population accustomed to malnourishment. But the soldiers truly have it rough. A perverse belief that hunger makes for tougher soldiers ensures that even military rations are meager. Their diet typically consists of barely edible scraps – boiled roots, a handful of corn, or, on lucky days, small portions of rice scavenged from the countryside. Food desperation has historically driven North Korean soldiers to criminal acts – raiding civilian homes, 5:01 food storage depots, and even military kitchens to steal anything edible. In one horrifying incident, two starving soldiers stabbed a civilian mother and daughter to death while stealing food from a kindergarten. It’s desperation pushing soldiers to acts of barbarity. Even their leaders fare poorly. One source described high-ranking officers deployed to border construction projects who were so emaciated that they looked “on the verge of collapse.” Their gaunt appearance speaks to the near-impossibility of maintaining discipline or cohesion among troops who can barely stand, let alone fight. That’s probably the case with the three North Korean generals reportedly sent to command the troops in Russia. Now, you might think – wouldn’t these horrifying conditions in their homeland make Russia look almost like a haven to them? Well, the answer might’ve been “yes” – if the North Korean troops weren’t also being starved in Russia. Despite initial reports that Moscow was treating the first batch of North Korean soldiers well to attract more, those hopes quickly faded. In fact, the only thing overflowing among the troops stationed in Kursk is tension. The North Korean soldiers – who were promised better conditions – have voiced their dissatisfaction with the inadequate food supplies. To address the growing unrest, Russian 6:04 officials were forced to intervene. Major General Mevlutov, Deputy Commander for Resource Support of the Leningrad Military District, was dispatched to oversee the situation. Upon arrival in Kursk, he ordered the emergency redistribution of rations from the Russian 11th Guards Air Assault Brigade. However, while the North Korean troops didn’t find sufficient food in Russia, they did find another thing – an odd form of freedom. Deploying North Korean troops to Russia plunged them into a world they are ill-equipped to navigate. Coming from one of the most isolated nations on earth, they have little concept of the outside world, let alone modern warfare. Tanks or farming tractors – it’s all the same to them, underscoring just how ignorant they are about modern military equipment. But that’s not the only thing they’re ignorant about. North Korean defectors spoke of their astonishment at basic amenities like electricity, running water, and proper meals when encountering other countries. And even these are just the beginning. Reports suggest that some North Korean soldiers in Russia – exposed to the internet for the first time – have spent significant downtime 7:00 consuming… online pornography. Yup, you’ve heard that right – Putin was promised disciplined soldiers but instead received a culture-shocked contingent that can’t fight, can’t think, and is dangerously out of its depth. Kim has truly pulled off a masterstroke – he disposed of his unwanted soldiers while embarrassing his supposed ally. But let’s be honest. Putin is also at fault here. He might’ve gotten played by Kim but he walked right into it. After all, what did he expect? That foreign soldiers with no Russian knowledge and no real-world combat experience would magically become an effective fighting force overnight? From these two issues alone, Putin should’ve known that accepting North Korean soldiers was a bad idea. Now let’s talk about combat experience – and where things really fall apart. North Korean troops are essentially rookies in modern combat. Their deployment in Kursk actually represents the first major battle these soldiers have seen since the Korean War in the early 1950s. That’s over 70 years ago. Now, don’t get us wrong. North Korean soldiers have been sent abroad before. But these were all small-scale deployments. During the Vietnam War, they sent fewer than 100 pilots and a psychological warfare unit. In the Yom Kippur War, 8:02 they deployed 1,500 military advisors and specialists. But their numbers weren’t the issue. Their roles were. They were only supporting others, not on the front lines in direct combat. That’s why their experience in fighting large-scale wars is practically nonexistent. The same can be said for other notable North Korean foreign deployments. In the 1980s, North Korea sent just 25 military advisors to Libya, and in 1987, 50 advisors to Uganda. The most recent instance was in Syria, where North Korea sent 20 specialists – though some reports suggest it could’ve been more. Still, these units were far removed from the brutal realities of frontline warfare. So, when Putin thought he was getting thousands of highly-trained soldiers to help in the battle for Ukraine, what he got were soldiers who’ve been out of action for decades. But this isn’t a case of bad intelligence, as the misguided invasion of Ukraine was. This was an absolute miscalculation on Putin’s part. That’s why he’s now dealing with soldiers who have spent more time on parade than on the battlefield. And for any military operation, that’s a problem you can’t ignore. Another problem you can’t ignore? A language barrier. This might 9:02 sound trivial, but in a military setting, it’s a massive issue. Especially when you’re dealing with soldiers who already lack combat experience. Military coordination is complex, and it requires constant communication, precise orders, and real-time responses. So, when you throw a language barrier into the mix, you get chaos, not a well-oiled machine. The North Korean soldiers in Russia are struggling to pick up Russian, with the language training reportedly limited to around 100 key military terms. That’s just not enough when the stakes are this high. In a real battlefield scenario, even small misunderstandings can result in disaster. The Russians might have been able to teach them how to say “attack,” but without fluency, they’re not going to know the tactical nuances. That’s why even integrating these soldiers into Russian military units at lower levels is going to be like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. The Russians will have to rely on translators, which is hardly an ideal setup for real-time battle conditions where seconds count. So, when Putin imagined North Korean soldiers seamlessly joining Russian forces, 10:00 he might have overlooked one crucial detail – If these troops can’t understand their commanders, they’re not going to be able to execute orders properly, and their performance will be even worse than expected. Putin’s humiliation becomes even worse when you realize what he actually got out of this “desperate Band-Aid” for Russia’s recruitment problem – a direct hit on Russian territory. You see, Putin’s decision to bring in North Korean troops has directly led to Ukraine getting the green light to launch long-range missile strikes on Russian soil. President Joe Biden was the first to authorize Kyiv to use American-supplied ATACMS to strike targets inside Russia, and British Storm Shadow and French SCALP missiles followed suit. These long-range weapons had been a sensitive issue for months, but once North Korean troops were deployed in Russia, Biden approved their use, specifically targeting Russian and North Korean forces in the Kursk region. For Putin, that means the battlefield has expanded – some 186 miles into the Russian territory – and now Russia itself is under attack. The very soldiers Putin thought would help him win are now indirectly causing him to lose even more ground. What a turn of events! And Kim? Well, he’s the real winner 11:03 in this deal. First and foremost, he got rid of his worst soldiers, the ones who were more of a burden than a benefit to North Korea’s military. Sending these troops to fight for Russia, where they’re far from home and unlikely to ever return, was a perfect way to “clean house.” After all, we aren’t talking about elite units. We’re talking about expendable cannon fodder, easily sacrificed to the chaos of war. Then, there’s the financial gain. The Russian government reportedly pays North Korean soldiers $2,000 U.S. per month, and most of that money likely ends up in state coffers, not with the soldiers themselves. For a nation like North Korea, which has long struggled with economic hardship and foreign currency shortages, this is a much-needed cash infusion. Of course, there’s also the nuclear advantage. Kim has already started leveraging the alliance with Russia to enhance North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. In this regard, the Russia-North Korea pact could end up being a game-changer. Moscow’s help could pave the way for Kim to enhance his nuclear weapons program and bolster the country’s standing on the world stage. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s the military technology exchange. Russia has reportedly promised to provide 12:02 North Korea with MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets, though these are older models. While they’re not top-of-the-line, these jets still represent a significant boost to North Korea’s air power, which could prove vital in the tense airspace above the Korean Peninsula. Finally, we have strategic positioning. By aligning with Russia and increasing his military capabilities, Kim is further cementing his position in the so-called New Cold War. The geopolitical dynamics are shifting, and Pyongyang is capitalizing on the rising tensions between the U.S., China, and Russia. Now, a new powerful triad is emerging, with China, Russia, and North Korea at its core. This triad would position Kim’s regime as a significantly more influential player on the global stage. Essentially, Kim got everything he needed – the money, the military support, and the strategic leverage. And Putin paid the price. Now, this raises a question – why would Putin continue putting up with this crooked alliance? It’s simple, really. He has no other choice. Behind closed doors, he can get furious. He can even threaten to send the North Korean soldiers 13:00 back. But publicly? He must maintain the illusion of strength in this alliance. Kim has already mastered this illusion. On November 30, 2024, Kim publicly pledged North Korea’s unwavering support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, stressing that his country would back Russia’s efforts to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. This strong declaration – made during a meeting with Russia’s Defense Minister Andrei Belousov – was carefully crafted to help Kim maintain credibility with both Russia and his domestic audience while publicly upholding the façade of his regime’s strength. Putin, too, needs to act strong, despite the nasty surprise he has received. The deployment of North Korean troops is part of the ongoing narrative that Russia isn’t isolated, but actively building alliances with countries like North Korea, which can project a united front in the face of Western sanctions and pressures. Ultimately, neither side will fess up to the real motivations behind their actions, because doing so would undermine their image of strength – something both leaders must maintain to avoid losing influence on the global stage. But knowing Putin, this humiliation won’t go unpunished. He might not be able to hit back at Kim. But his troops? They’re as good as dead. 14:03 Russia is almost certainly going to use the North Korean troops as cannon fodder – a strategy designed to absorb massive losses while trying to overwhelm Ukrainian defenses through sheer numbers and brute force. This approach is a hallmark of the meat grinder tactics that Russia has relied on in various conflicts. By deploying thousands of poorly trained North Korean soldiers into the frontlines, Russia can launch massive, wave-like assaults intended to overwhelm Ukrainian positions, even if it means sacrificing those soldiers in the process. Though, don’t expect Kim to care much about the deaths of his soldiers. His regime has consistently viewed its soldiers as expendable. So, even sending them to die in Russia’s war is just another sacrifice in Kim’s pursuit of military and political gains. And North Korean troops have indeed started dying in Russia. On December 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned in an interview with Kyodo News, a Japanese news agency, that some of the North Korean soldiers had already been killed in combat. The earliest reports indicating clashes involving North Korean troops came out in early November. According to the New York Times, the first engagement took place on November 5, 15:04 when North Korean troops, alongside Russia’s 810th Separate Guards Order of Zhukov Naval Infantry Brigade, fought Ukrainian forces in the contested Kursk region. Although the skirmish was described as a limited engagement – likely intended as a probing attack to test Ukrainian defenses – it ended with a significant number of North Korean casualties, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials. Despite the absence of specific casualty figures, both officials – who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the situation – confirmed that many North Korean soldiers were killed in this encounter. While the details remain scarce – including the number of fatalities – these deaths mark the beginning of what is likely to be a much larger toll on the North Korean forces. So, who really comes out on top here? Is Putin benefiting from this arrangement in any way, or has it only sealed his fate? And what about Kim – will he truly get away with fooling Putin? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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