The United States said Wednesday that 3,000 North Korean troops were dispatched to Russia earlier this month and are being trained there, possibly to fight alongside Moscow’s troops in their 32-month war against Ukraine.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters that what Pyongyang’s soldiers are doing in Russia is “left to be seen.” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. is “working closely with our allies and partners to gain a full understanding of the situation.”
Kirby said the North Korean troops traveled by ship between early October and midmonth from its Wonsan naval port to Vladivostok in Russia. Then, he said, the North Korean troops were dispatched to multiple military training sites in eastern Russia.
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“We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military” in Ukraine, but the possibility is “certainly a high concern,” Kirby said.
“We have briefed the Ukrainian government on our understanding of this situation, and we’re certainly consulting closely with other allies, partners and countries in the region on the implications of such a dramatic group move, and on how we might respond,” Kirby said.
“For the time being, we will continue to monitor the situation closely, but let’s be clear: If North Korean soldiers do enter into combat, this development will demonstrate Russia’s growing desperation in its war against Ukraine,” he added.
“Russia is suffering extraordinary casualties on the battlefield every single day, but President [Vladimir] Putin appears intent on continuing this war,” Kirby said.
“If Russia is indeed forced to turn to North Korea for manpower, if we assign a weakness, not strength, it would also demonstrate an unprecedented level of direct military cooperation between Russia and North Korea with security implications in Europe, as well as the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
Kirby said Russia’s cooperation with the North Korean military would violate multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibiting the procurement of arms from North Korea and military arms training.
China, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and a close ally of North Korea, was asked by VOA about its view of the U.S., South Korean, Ukrainian and NATO intelligence confirming the presence of North Korean troops in eastern Russia and the possible implications.
“China’s position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear. We hope that all parties will work for de-escalation and be committed to political settlement,” Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu, said in a statement.
Defense chief Austin cited a “strengthened relationship” between Russia and North Korea, noting that North Korea has provided weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
“If they’re co-belligerents, if their intention is to participate in this war on Russia’s behalf, that is a very, very serious issue, and it will have impacts not only in Europe; it will also impact things in the Indo-Pacific as well,” Austin said.
Austin also highlighted Russian casualties in the war it launched with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, saying the North Korea development is an indication that Putin “may be in even more trouble than most people realize.”
Austin’s assessment was quickly backed up by NATO officials, who are awaiting additional briefings from South Korea, which went public with its intelligence on the North Korean troop movements last week.
“We are actively consulting within the Alliance on this matter,” NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said, adding, “If these troops are destined to fight in Ukraine, it would mark a significant escalation in North Korea’s support for Russia’s illegal war and yet another sign of Russia’s significant losses on the front lines.”
Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Ukraine expects a “firm, concrete response from the world.”
“If North Korea can intervene in the war in Europe, then the pressure on this regime is definitely not strong enough,” Zelenskyy said. “And if Russia is still able to expand and prolong this war, it means that everyone in the world who is still not helping to force Russia into peace is actually helping Putin to wage war.”
On the battlefield
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday it destroyed 14 Ukrainian aerial drones in areas along the Ukraine-Russia border, as well as four uncrewed Ukrainian boats in the Black Sea.
The ministry said Russian air defenses destroyed 10 drones over Russia-occupied Crimea and another four over the Rostov region.
Russian forces carried out a second consecutive night of heavy drone attacks targeting the Sumy region in southern Ukraine.
The Sumy regional military administration said Wednesday that Ukrainian air defenses shot down 19 Russian drones, a night after Ukraine downed 25 drones in the same area.
Officials in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions also reported drones being shot down overnight.
VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report. Some information was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Source: voanews.com
