Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, said in Rome that there is evidence that North Korean forces are in Russia on October 23, Reuters reported.
Austin’s statement is the first time that the U.S. has publicly confirmed previous statements made by Ukraine and South Korea. Both nations claim that Russia plans to include thousands of North Korean soldiers in its full-scale conflict.
There is evidence that DPRK (North Korean troops) are in Russia. What are they doing? What exactly are they doing? “We need to sort these things out,” said the Pentagon chief.
Austin did not specify how many North Korean troops had arrived in Russia.
Kyrylo Budanov is the head of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR). He said that North Korean units would arrive in Kursk Oblast by October 23. Ukraine began a border incursion in August, and still controls large swathes.
Budanov had said earlier in October that the first group of soldiers would be 2,600.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Russia, said that two brigades of North Koreans with a combined strength of 6,000 are currently being trained in Russia. According to military intelligence some North Korean officers have already been in the occupied territory of Ukraine, he stated on October 17.
North Korea denied the reports while a Kremlin spokeswoman gave an evasive response on the matter.
A military intelligence source informed the Kyiv independent on October 21 that Russian authorities had detained 18 North Korean troops who abandoned their positions within the Kursk Oblast. Video footage purporting show North Korean soldiers at a Russian training camp has also been circulated.
South Korean media reported Oct. 22 that Pyongyang had dispatched pilots capable of flying Russian warplanes in order to join the conflict in Ukraine. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that South Korea was considering sending personnel to Ukraine in order to monitor North Korean forces.
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