WASHINGTON (TNND) — The U.S. is calibrating its next steps and trying to discern what 3,000 troops deployed to Russia are preparing to do in a startling development of its war against Ukraine that raises other concerns for national security concerns moving forward.
The Pentagon and White House national security officials confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Russia earlier this week but have yet to determine precisely what their mission there is. But they have also said the development is highly concerning.
“We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but this is certainly a highly concerning probability,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday. “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 would demonstrate Russia’s growing desperation in its war against Ukraine.”
It would be the first time a third country has put boots on the ground in the war in an escalatory move that has not yet been seen in the conflict. Russia has sought and received military aid from Iran and ammunition from North Korea already, and Ukraine has received military aid and resources from the U.S. and other NATO allies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters earlier this week that a third country entering the war would escalate it into a world war.
The other troublesome question facing the West is what North Korea is getting in exchange for sending troops to Russia, especially if they end up fighting against Ukraine at some point. While the two countries have expanded their military cooperation since the start of the war, that has been somewhat limited to this point.
Some lawmakers are calling on the Biden administration to take a proactive response to the discovery of North Korean troops. Rep. Mike Turner, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has sent a letter to President Joe Biden saying that North Korean troops entering Ukraine needs to be a red line for the U.S. and NATO.
“I have long challenged the Biden-Harris Administration’s unwise position on restricting Ukraine’s use of U.S. weapons against targets within Russian territory. If North Korean troops attack Ukraine from Russian territory, Ukraine should be permitted to use American weapons to respond,” Turner said in a statement. “If North Korean troops were to invade Ukraine’s sovereign territory, the United States needs to seriously consider taking direct military action against the North Korean troops.”
The U.S. has increasingly ramped up the military aid and lifted restrictions to Ukraine as the war has slogged on but so far has not approved the use of U.S.-provided long-range missiles to be used against Russia due to fears of escalating the conflict.
Some experts have also raised concerns about what North Korea could be getting in return for providing troops. North Korea has been trying to improve an intercontinental ballistic missile for years and could receive assistance in the development from Russia in exchange. Experts have noted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been eager to show the missiles could hit American cities.
“What is North Korea expecting in return? What we’re really concerned about is the range of range of their missiles. Are they going to give them what they need to develop an accurate ICBM?” said Ian Kelly, ambassador in residence at Northwestern University and a former State Department diplomat.
But the presence of foreign troops can also signal that things aren’t going as intended for Russia, which has faced years of setbacks in an invasion the Kremlin started and expected to succeed quickly. It’s unclear exactly how many Russian troops have been injured or killed in the war, but estimates are in the hundreds of thousands.
Putin has already expanded the level of Russia’s active troops and called on the country’s reservists in 2022 as losses mounted in the war. The call-up of reservists brought widespread backlash against the Kremlin in 2022, prompting thousands of Russians to flee the country to avoid being sent into combat.
“I wouldn’t say they have run out of personnel,” Zelenskyy said on Monday. “However, the reluctance to mobilize their own people is certainly increasing, and there are formats for mobilizing North Korean troops. This is definitely happening.”
Russia has been hesitant to make the same move again and has instead turned to providing more incentives to get people to volunteer through higher pay or turned to mercenary forces.
“In some ways, there is some good news here. And the good news is the fact that ‘Great Russia’ has to turn to little, isolated and much-maligned North Korea for troops. They’ve already turned to them for ammunition but that is another signal that that Putin’s concerned that things aren’t going his way,” Kelly said.