Ukrainian intelligence announced that a North Korean military unit trained in Russia had arrived in the theater Kursk region.
According to CNN and other sources, Ukrainian officials reported on Thursday via Telegram that the North Korean unit, having undergone training in Russia’s Far East, was sighted in Kursk, where fierce battles between Russian and Ukrainian forces are taking place. Ukrainian troops entered the region on August 6th and have occupied parts of it, engaging in ongoing combat with Russian forces.
Ukrainian authorities estimate that around 12,000 North Korean troops, including three generals and 500 officers, are currently in Russia. These troops are reportedly undergoing training at five bases in eastern Russia, including Ussuriysk and Ulan-Ude. Russia has appointed Deputy Defense Minister Yunus Bek Yevkurov to oversee the training and management of the North Korean soldiers, suggesting that they will undergo several weeks of training before being deployed to the front lines.
The number of North Korean troops reported by Ukrainian authorities is considerably higher than the estimates provided by the U.S. White House. Earlier, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby stated in a briefing that the U.S. assessed North Korea had moved at least 3,000 soldiers into eastern Russia between early and mid-October. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that the deployment could be as high as 12,000 troops, equivalent to two brigades.
Reports suggest that North Korean troops trained in Russia’s Far East are currently en route to the Western front by train. Kyodo News, citing a Ukrainian military official, reported that North Korean officers entered the Kursk region earlier this month as an advance team, preparing to receive the incoming soldiers. This marks the first known instance of North Korean troops relocating from the Far East to the Western Front after completing their training.
In the meantime, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not denied reports of North Korean troops being deployed to Russia. Instead, he remarked what we do with North Korea is “our business.” Putin made this statement during a press conference following the BRICS summit in Kazan, Tatarstan, when responding to an American journalist’s inquiry about satellite images purportedly showing North Korean troops in Russia.
The U.S. government has yet to confirm the movement of North Korean troops. In response to Ukrainian media reports about the deployment of North Korean troops trained in eastern Russia to the western Kursk region, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh indicated that she had no information regarding the matter.
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