Thousands of North Korean soldiers have gathered in Russia's Kursk to help Russian troops repel a surprise Ukrainian invasion of the area, while the US has announced the delivery of 212 powerful Strykers to Ukrainian forces.
Forbes magazine reports that the $425 million aid package announced by the Pentagon on Friday includes bombs, missiles, artillery shells and at least 212 high-speed eight-wheeled Strykers, with North Korean troops expected to join them. the Russians soon in Kursk.
Most of the Strykers in the possession of the Ukrainian army are already in Kursk, but it is not clear how soon they will arrive in Ukraine.
After the loss of around 20 Strykers to Russian strikes, the additional vehicles will bring their number in Ukraine's arsenal to nearly 400. Kiev assigns these 18-tonne vehicles, which carry 11 people to air assault brigades, typically equipping three a battalion of 31 vehicles in each brigade.The Stryker has a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour and is adapted to the combination of chaotic urban combat and high-speed attacks that is typical of combat in the Russian region and was also characteristic of last year's battle of Vovchansk in northeastern Ukraine.
In Vovchanksk, the 82nd Airborne Brigade found out what the US military already knows about the Stryker - in addition to being fast, this nearly three-meter long vehicle makes an excellent observation and firing platform for sensors and roof-mounted weapons.
