Red Army Rising: 12,000 North Korean Soldiers Deploy to Russia in Historic Military Alliance
After the US confirmed that around 8,000 North Korean troops are stationed near the Ukrainian border, it released new information on the matter.
12 thousand soldiers
US Defense Department spokesman Pat Ryder estimated that his country believes there are 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia, including 10,000 in the Kursk region.
Commenting on a statement issued by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin a few days ago, he said on Monday that these troops would become legitimate military targets if they took part in combat support operations against Ukraine.
He also added that the Pentagon is looking into reports of alleged North Korean military operations.
He noted that all indications are that they will provide some form of combat capability or combat support, with the expectation that the Ukrainians will do whatever it takes to protect themselves and their personnel.
A Pentagon spokesman pointed to recent comments by Austin, in which the defense secretary said that North Korean forces “could be used to compensate for the heavy losses that Russia is suffering, and that’s a fair assessment, and I certainly don’t want a North Korean soldier there.” He said.
It came as troops arrived in Russia from Pyongyang last month, officials said.
The United States said Russian forces trained the troops in infantry and artillery tactics, trench clearing and drone operations.
The Russians supplied North Korean forces with Russian uniforms and equipment.
“Moscow’s Most Dangerous Ally”
It is noteworthy that the director of Ukrainian intelligence, Kirill Budanov, confirmed last month that North Korea is Moscow’s most dangerous ally for Kiev because it sends large shipments of artillery shells to Russia for use on the Ukrainian front.
While Moscow and Pyongyang have denied arms transfers, they have pledged to strengthen military ties.
As Kremlin master, he has not denied information reported by Western intelligence on the alleged deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.
When asked about this, he said at a press conference during the BRICS conference in Kazan last Thursday, that his country has never doubted that the North Koreans take cooperation agreements between the two countries seriously.
He believed these were “personal matters”, Agence France-Presse reported.
Russia has deepened its ties with North Korea since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, and Kim welcomed Putin on an official visit in June.
Russian news agencies said the meetings between Shoigu and the North Korean leader took place in a friendly atmosphere characterized by great trust and would contribute significantly to the implementation of the agreement reached between Putin and Kim at their summit a few months ago.