Budanov: DPRK to Deploy Its Tanks and Armored Vehicles With Crews to Russia

North Korea (DPRK) plans to send its main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers to Russia along with their crews.

Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, stated this in an interview with The Japan Times.

In mid-June, it became known that Pyongyang would send military engineering units totaling 6,000 personnel over the following months to carry out demining and reconstruction work in Russia’s Kursk region.

When the Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine was asked about this, he expressed doubts about whether that would be the sole purpose of those troops.

“Some of them may indeed be involved in demining and building fortifications, but will all of them be doing that?” Kyrylo Budanov noted.

He added that the plans for the new deployment of North Korean troops to Russia also “include between 50 to 100 units of North Korean equipment, including M-2010 main battle tanks – also known as Cheonma-D – and BTR-80 armored personnel carriers.”

Accordingly, this armored equipment, along with its crews, could be involved in combat operations against Ukraine.

According to the Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, North Korea is gaining unique combat experience, as only a few countries in the world have had the opportunity to wage war on such a scale.

“Currently, there are only three countries in the world with experience in conducting modern warfare along a very wide front line using nearly all available means – Ukraine, Russia, and North Korea,” Budanov emphasized.

The M-2010 Chunma-D APC, currently in service with North Korea, features an 8×8 wheel configuration and is based on the Soviet BTR-80A.

Last year, the name of the new North Korean main battle tank also became known – Cheonma-2 (천마-2호).

Previously, the tank was referred to in the West as M-2020, and its newer version as M-2024. These names were given based on the dates when the tank variants appeared – specifically during the 2020 parade and the exercises at the beginning of 2024.