North Korean has deployed forces to Russia’s Kursk region — NATO

NATO revealed that North Korean forces have been sent to Russia and are conducting operations in the Kursk border area where Ukrainian forces have established a presence.

According to source, after meeting with South Korean security and defense officials on October 28, 2024, the alliance’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, stated he could verify the deployment after weeks of intelligence reports.

The deployment was disclosed as a “significant escalation” and a “dangerous expansion” of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine by the recently appointed NATO chief.

In response to allegations that Pyongyang was getting ready to dispatch thousands of troops to support its ally, President Vladimir Putin last week refused to deny that North Korean forces had landed in Russia.

“This is our sovereign decision”, Putin said at a press conference, avoiding the subject.

“Whether we use it or not, where, how, or whether we engage in exercises, training, or transfer some experience.

“It’s our business”, he added.

With Rutte’s participation on Monday, NATO officially recognized Pyongyang’s military operating in Russia for the first time.

He warned that North Korea has already sent millions of rounds of ammunition and ballistic missiles to Moscow for use in Ukraine.

According to Rutte, President Putin has consented to provide military equipment and other assistance to North Korea in order to help it avoid international sanctions.

He went on to say that the collaboration was “undermining global peace and security”.

Western capitals will be alarmed by his warning that North Korean troops are present in Kursk.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, wrote in a post on X:

“North Korean soldiers are deployed to support Russia’s war of aggression.

“It’s a grave escalation in this war and a threat to global peace”.

The EU would “respond together with our like-minded partners”, she continued.

The precise number of North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia is reported to be unknown.

Earlier this month, the South Korean spy service reported that at least 1,500 North Korean soldiers had already reached Russia.

The US Defense Department also estimated on Monday that roughly 10,000 North Korean personnel had been dispatched to eastern Russia for training.

A “portion” of those troops have already migrated closer to Ukraine, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh.

She also stated that the US was growing more worried that Russia might employ these troops “in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk oblast [region].”

President Joe Biden described North Korea’s assistance to Russia in Ukraine as being “Very dangerous”, adding his voice to the mounting worry.

More than two months after Ukrainian troops made their first surprise entry into Russia’s western region, combat has persisted between Moscow and Kyiv’s forces.

Russia reportedly helped to halt Ukraine’s advance by redeploying thousands of troops into the area.

Although Kyiv’s forces have taken control of roughly 250 square kilometers of terrain, the operation seems to have fallen short of its main goal of deflecting Moscow’s momentum in eastern Ukraine, as reported.

The influx of North Korean troops in Kursk may put additional strain on the beleaguered troops in Kyiv, as reported.

A senior Ukrainian official disclosed that by Monday, some 5,000 elite North Korean troops were expected to have joined the Russian unit in the border region.

Additionally, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Friday that his administration received evidence indicating those troops may be sent in a matter of days.

For weeks, Western policymakers have cautioned that doing so may potentially escalate the situation.

President Putin’s devoted buddy, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, seemed to agree with that judgment last week.

“A step towards the escalation of the conflict” is what he told the BBC such a move would mark as.

Since Moscow was essentially isolated following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, North Korea and Russia have reportedly become closer.

The supreme leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, and President Putin agreed earlier this year to support one another in the case of “aggression” against either nation.

Pyongyang has been accused by the US on numerous occasions of supplying Russia with massive quantities of military equipment, such as ballistic missiles and launchers.

However, several analysts have doubted how much Pyongyang’s forces can contribute to the Russian war effort.

According to them, the North Korean army lacks recent combat experience in addition to the linguistic issue.

According to recent video that Ukrainian defense intelligence authorities were able to collect, Russian forces were reportedly voicing concerns about how the North Korean troops would be led and provided with supplies.

Rutte asserts that over 600,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured in the conflict, which has lasted for more than two and a half years since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion.

The Kremlin, he claimed, was “unable to sustain his assault on Ukraine without foreign support”.

About 650,000 Russian servicemen have been killed or injured, according to separate statements made by President Zelensky on Monday.

“They [Russians] are not collecting the bodies… their people are rotting on the ground”, he stated in an interview.

There are rarely any official updates on casualties from either side.

However, a BBC Russian investigation claims that over 70,000 Russian soldiers have been proven dead in battle.

Zelensky stated in February that since Russia’s full-scale assault, over 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed as reported.

Numerous Western media outlets have estimated that figure to be significantly higher.

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