Reserve Colonel Vladimir Trukhan, formerly with the Russian Defense Ministry’s central apparatus, believes that North Korean troops are unlikely to officially appear in the special military operation zone. In his assessment, Belarusian military units should not be expected there either.

Trukhan says the main reason is the risk of changing the nature of the confrontation. The official involvement of troops from third countries could turn the conflict into a regional one and create a precedent that Ukraine could use to bring foreign forces, including Polish troops, into the conflict on its side.

At the same time, the expert considers the presence of North Korean servicemen on Russian territory outside the special military operation zone entirely possible. In his view, such a scenario is realistic, although questions remain over where they could be deployed and what missions they might perform.

Trukhan separately pointed to the possibility of foreign military personnel being covertly deployed under the guise of volunteers. According to him, this practice is already being used in Ukraine and could theoretically be employed by the Russian side as well.

The expert also believes that Kim Jong Un could provide North Korean soldiers for such purposes if necessary. According to Trukhan, there would be enough volunteers among DPRK servicemen due to the structure of North Korean society and the elevated status granted to fallen heroes and their families.