Border data shows North Korean ‘students’ (not troops) are loving Russia
The apparent surge in academic interest in Russia comes shortly after Moscow and Pyongyang signed a military cooperation treaty.
As Moscow continues to dodge the question on whether it has recruited North Korean troops to fight against Ukraine, journalists have noted a mysterious rise in the number of Pyongyang students traveling to Russia.
Using data from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) border service, the independent outlet Mediazona on Friday spotted that 3,765 North Korean citizens had crossed into the country from July to September for the purpose of “study.”
That number is higher than the entirety of the pre-pandemic year of 2019, when 3,200 students in total were registered as entering Russia.
More recently, in April this year, Russia’s education minister said only 130 North Korean students were studying in Russia.
The recent number sets a historical record and appears to suggest a vast and sudden surge in academic interest in Russia — right after Moscow and Pyongyang signed a military treaty in June and shortly before reports emerged of North Korean troops being deployed to Russia for its war effort.
Western officials estimate up to 10,000 North Korean troops could be joining Russia’s armed forces in an apparent plan to contain and push back a Ukrainian incursion into the border region of Kursk.
The deployment has been slammed by Kyiv and Western officials, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy describing it as the “first step to a world war,” and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte calling it “historic” and a dangerous escalation.
Meanwhile, Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied the use of North Korean troops for its war plan.
“If there are images, then they must reflect something,” Russian President Vladimir Putin prevaricated in October in response to a journalist’s question about satellite images appearing to show North Korean troops on Russian soil.
Other top Russian officials have similarly deflected the question, pointing to the June treaty it signed with North Korea as underpinning its right to military cooperation, while also drawing a false parallel with the presence of foreign personnel and fighters in Ukraine.
Though some NATO member countries are indeed bolstering Ukraine with instructors and other support staff, North Korean boots on the ground would represent the first use of foreign combat troops in the conflict.
In a sign that Moscow is unfazed by the barrage of criticism, Putin on Thursday hinted at further escalation. “We’ll see. We could also conduct exercises. Why not?” he asked.
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