**CNN, via Ukrainian Authorities: “North Korean Soldiers Fill Out Questionnaires Upon Arrival in Russia”**
CNN reported on the 19th (local time) that it had obtained a Korean questionnaire through the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture’s Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security (SPRAVDI). It appears that Russia prepared these Korean-language questionnaires to efficiently provide North Korean soldiers with military uniforms and boots.
The questionnaire includes a request in Korean to fill out details such as “hat size (circumference), uniform/shoe sizes,” with the same guidance provided in Russian. It further asks for the soldier’s hat size, height, and chest circumference.
The military attire in question is categorized as “for summer.” Due to the differences in clothing size systems between Russia and North Korea, the questionnaire includes a section for “Russian-style uniform size (related to height)” with sizes labeled ‘2, 3, 4, 5, 6’, with corresponding height ranges like ‘162-168’, ‘168-174’, etc. In contrast, there is an empty section labeled “Korean size.”
It seems that once a North Korean soldier enters their height and North Korean uniform size, the corresponding Russian uniform will be provided. According to CNN, the soldier is required to fill out and submit the questionnaire immediately after arriving in Russia. The use of Korean questionnaires is likely due to the language barrier preventing the North Korean soldiers from understanding Russian.
The Korean questionnaire obtained by CNN, along with a previously released video from SPRAVDI, acts as further evidence supporting the deployment of North Korean soldiers. Earlier, SPRAVDI had released footage allegedly showing North Korean soldiers preparing for deployment to Ukraine at what appears to be the Sergeyevsky Training Ground in Primorsky Krai.
In the video, soldiers of Asian descent, presumed to be North Korean, are seen receiving equipment from soldiers likely to be Russian. The footage captures Korean-accented voices saying phrases like “Do not cross,” “Come out,” and “Hey, hey, hey.”
Additionally, a Telegram channel, Parafax, released a video showing North Korean soldiers lined up and entering a military base, claiming they are undergoing training in Russia. According to Radio Free Asia, a U.S. media outlet, an analysis by experts suggests that the military uniforms worn by the soldiers in the video have insignias of the Russian Eastern Military District, and the location appears to be the Sergeyevsky Training Ground in Primorsky Krai.