US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that North Korean soldiers wearing Russian uniforms were preparing to engage in combat operations on the frontlines in Ukraine.
The Biden administration announced 31 October that approximately 8, 000 North Korean soldiers were positioned near Ukraine’s border in Russia’s Kursk Oblast preparing to participate in combat operations against Ukrainian troops.
Ukrainian intelligence reported in October that approximately 11,000 North Korean soldiers had been trained in Russia and were likely to engage in a war against Ukraine in the near future. Ukraine reported that 3,000 North Korean soldiers have already been relocated in the Kursk Oblast.
“We haven’t yet seen these soldiers deploy into combat against Ukrainian Forces, but we expect that to occur in the coming days,” Secretary Blinken stated at a Washington news conference.
This figure represents a significant part of the total North Korean presence in Russia. Different sources estimate this differently. The US estimates the total to be around 10,000 troops. Seoul and its allies estimate it at 11,000 and Ukraine suggests as much as 12,000.
Blinken stated that Russia had been training the North Korean forces on “artillery, basic infantry operations and drones, including trench clearing,” indicating their intended usage in frontline operations.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that “if these North Korean soldiers engage in combat or support operations against Ukraine they will become legitimate military targets.”
He added that “this 10,000 will not come close to replacing what the Russians have lost.”
The US estimates that more than 500,000 Russians were killed or injured during the two-year conflict.
Cho Tae-yul, South Korean Foreign Minister, condemned the deployment in the strongest terms possible and called for an immediate withdrawal of the troops.
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