U.S. officials say that the U.S. “should seriously consider taking direct military actions against… North Korean soldiers” if those troops join Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. Select Committee on Intelligence Chair Michael R. Turner stated.
Turner, a Republican representative in the U.S. House of Representatives and a Democrat president, called on Biden’s administration to “make it clear” that Pyongyang’s participation in Moscow’s full invasion would be a red line for the United States.
The U.S. confirmed publicly for the first day that it had evidence of North Korean troops in Russia. U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said it “remains-to-be-seen” if the troops would join the fight.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Russian president, said on October 22 that two brigades of North Koreans with up to 6,000 soldiers each are currently being trained in Russia.
“Now that Secretary Austin finally acknowledged that North Korean soldiers are in Russia preparing for the conflict with Ukraine. The Biden-Harris administration must make it clear that North Korean troop entering this conflict is a redline for the United States,” Turner stated.
“If North Korean troops invade Ukraine’s sovereignty territory, the United States should seriously consider taking direct military actions against the North Korean soldiers.”
Turner’s comments are the strongest yet from a U.S. politician and come less than 2 weeks before Kamala, Biden’s vice president, will face Donald Trump in a presidential election.
Trump, who is seeking a return to presidency, has expressed a fondness for Russian president Vladimir Putin, and questioned future U.S. Military Assistance for Ukraine, while insisting that he can broker an immediate peace agreement.
While the rhetoric between Democrats, Republicans and other parties is intensifying ahead of this hotly contested election, Turner has consistently supported Ukraine during Russia’s full scale invasion.
In February, he visited Kyiv as part of a bipartisan group to express his solidarity with Ukraine. A military aid bill was stuck in Congress because of political infighting.
On October 23, the White House declared that North Korean troops fighting for Russia against Ukraine in support of Russia are “fair game.”
John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, said at a White House press briefing that if they did deploy to fight against Ukraine they would be fair game and fair targets. The Ukrainian military would defend itself against North Korean soldiers in the same way it defends itself against Russian soldiers.
“And the possibility that there may be dead or wounded North Korean soldiers…is absolutely real if these soldiers are deployed.”
Kirby revealed the details of U.S. Intelligence assessments, stating that Washington believes North Korea has “moved a minimum of 3,000 soldiers to eastern Russia.”
He said: “These soldiers traveled to several Russian military training sites located in eastern Russia, where they are currently receiving training.”
Kirby said that it was too soon to say if they would “enter into combat alongside the Russian Military,” but that it was “highly worrying probability.”
Kirby said, “We’ve briefed the Ukrainian Government on our understanding of the situation and we’re consulting closely with other partners, allies and countries in the area on the implications of a move of this magnitude and how we could respond.”
He added, “I’m sure I’ll have more to say about all of that over the next few days.”
The General Staff announced on October 24 that Ukrainian military, lawmakers and experts discussed creating a separate branch within Ukraine’s Armed Forces to be dedicated to cyberspace activities.
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Beijing Foreign Ministry, made the statement in spite of the fact that the U.S.A., Seoul and Kyiv have all confirmed their presence over the past few days.
Michael R. Turner is a long-serving Republican Party member and his comments are by far the strongest from any U.S. politician.
The Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces shot down 40 of 50 Shahed drones and unidentified drones launched overnight by Russia. The Air Force reported that seven more drones had been “lost” and two others were flying toward Russia and Belarus.
During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been numerous reports of Russian soldiers executing Ukrainian POWs. However, they have increased dramatically in the last year.
Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian dictator, said in an interview to BBC that he knew Putin’s character and that he would never try to convince another country to send its army to… Ukraine.
Politico reported that anonymous officials said that Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, and other countries are reluctant to invite Ukraine to join NATO.
John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, also revealed details about U.S. intelligence assessment. Washington believes that North Korea “moved a minimum of 3000 soldiers into Eastern Russia.”
This includes 1,240 casualties that Russian forces have suffered in the last day.
On Oct. 21, the Basmanny district of Moscow sentenced Ukrainian filmmaker Alexander Rodnyansky to 8 and half years in absence for “spreading false information” about Russian Army.
German magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported that German Finance Minister Christian Lindner proposed a reevaluation of the legal status for Ukrainian refugees.
“Kremniy EL”, one of the largest microelectronics factories in Russia, produces components that are widely used in Russian defence production. These include Pantsir air-defense systems and Iskander rocket systems.
Yevhen Perebyinis, Deputy Foreign Ministry, wrote to cabinet ministers in a letter dated Oct. 23, warning that the European Union had informed Ukraine that the next tranche (4 billion euros) of the EU’s Ukraine Facility could be delayed until the following year if the expected aspects of the corruption reforms were not completed by the end this month.
Ukrainska Pravda, citing the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, reported on October 23 that Roman Hladkyi was dismissed just months after he was appointed to his controversial position in August 2024.
Belarus’ Central Electoral Commission, which announced the date on October 23, has set its next presidential elections for January 26, 2025. The incumbent Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who is currently in power, is widely expected to remain in power following the results of the election.
Daleep Singh is the White House’s deputy national security advisor for international economics. He said that Joe Biden intends to divide the funds between helping Ukraine’s economy and its military.
The statement read: “The next step will be advanced fast jet training with partner nations and conversion to F-16.”
“The situation in Toretsk is relatively stable.” “We (Ukrainian Forces) are now holding our line unchanged,” Anastasiia Bobbyvnikova, spokesperson for the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk said.
Park Sun-won is a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee. He said that signs of troops being trained in North Korea had been detected between September and October.
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