North Korea sends 3,000 troops to Russia

North Korea has deployed 3,000 of its troops to Russia for training, and Volodymyr Zelensky fears that they will then be sent to fight in Ukraine.

He also claims that more North Korean troops could be sent by December.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says North Korea has deployed troops to Russia, the first US official to publicly confirm the developmenthttps://t.co/uEqO7x4fAg

— CNN (@CNN) October 23, 2024

This major new development was confirmed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin:

“We are seeing evidence that North Korean troops have traveled to Russia.”

Around 3,000 North Korean troops are now believed to be deployed in eastern Russia, but the US does not yet know their precise mission, according to a senior administration official.

In addition, North Korean troops have reportedly been observed on Russian territory since September.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has regularly warned that North Korean troops would soon be joining the war alongside Russia, now claims that “10,000” troops are being prepared to go to Russia.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, relations between Russia and North Korea have strengthened. Moscow, in search of allies in the face of Western sanctions, and Pyongyang, eager to bolster its military and economic support, are engaging in strategic cooperation.

Reciprocal visits by leaders, including Kim Jong-un’s to Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to North Korea, illustrate this new dynamic.

Putin paid a two-day diplomatic visit to North Korea on June 19, while Kim Jong-un visited Russia on September 13, 2023.

These rapprochements raise growing concerns about the escalation of the war in Ukraine, as well as regional and global security.