North Korea may hesitate to deploy more troops to Russia due to Ukrainian ATACMS strikes, says Defense Express expert

The US decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles on Russian territory could influence North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s decision on sending his troops to Russia’s Kursk Oblast if Ukraine effectively targets North Korean units, says Valerii Riabykh, military expert, development director of Defense Express, according to Espreso.

Despite Ukraine’s months-long appeals amid Russian air attacks and offensives in Donetsk and Kharkiv oblasts, Western nations continued to restrict the use of their long-range weapons like ATACMS. Ukraine needed permission to strike inside Russia, but the Western leaders refused, reportedly to avoid further escalation. On 17 November, US officials said that US President Joe Biden had given the green light for Ukraine to use long-range missiles.

Ukraine may use ATACMS in operations primarily on the Kursk front, said Valerii Riabykh.

“Especially when the enemy aims to intensify efforts to push Ukraine’s forces out of Russian territory, particularly Kursk Oblast, and given that the Russians are also involving North Korean units for this purpose,” the Ukrainian military expert emphasized.

According to him, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un might reconsider sending additional troops to Russia only after the “neutralization” with ATACMS of most of the units that have already been deployed in Kursk Oblast.

“Mainly because even the North Korean dictator needs troops that will return with new experience, not in coffins,” he explained.

Riabykh added that within the 300-kilometer range, there are hundreds of other targets Ukraine needs to eliminate to impact the battlefield situation effectively.

Earlier, Axios reported that Ukraine allegedly learned about the US approval for strikes deep inside Russia three days ago. Currently, the Pentagon has neither confirmed nor denied this information officially.

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