Record number of North Korean nationals enter Russia for education amid military deployment allegations
During the third quarter of this year saw 3,765 North Korean nationals arrive in Russia with education as their stated purpose, reports the independent Russian online publication Mediazona, citing figures from the Russian Border Service. For comparison, in the entire pre-pandemic year of 2019, 3,200 North Korean citizens came to Russia for study.
Mediazona highlights that quotas for North Korean students remain low. In April, official data indicated that only about 130 students from North Korea were studying in Russia. The Russian Ministry of Education and Science reported over one hundred applications from North Korean citizens for the next year.
The surge of North Korean students to Russia coincides with reports from Western and South Korean intelligence regarding the deployment of North Korean military personnel to Russia, allegedly to participate in the conflict against Ukraine. Various reports suggest approximately 10,000 North Korean soldiers may be present in Russia's Kursk region. Ukraine has stated that in early November, its armed forces engaged in their first combat with North Korean troops.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have remained silent on the claims that North Korean military forces are involved in combat operations against Ukraine.
Interestingly, the data from the Russian Border Service, cited by Mediazona, pertains only to North Korean arrivals in Russia during the third quarter of 2024. This period precedes the public disclosure by U.S. intelligence about the deployment of North Korean soldiers to Russia. South Korean agency "Yonhap", citing intelligence sources, reported that the initial stage of North Korean troop transfers occurred between October 8 and 13.