The NATO military alliance has confirmed that North Korean troops have moved to Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.
Speaking in Brussels on October 28, NATO chief Mark Rutte called the move a “significant escalation” in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and said it shows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “desperation” after “more than 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded” in the war.
Rutte’s comments follow weeks of reports suggesting that North Korea was sending troops to Russia in a further sign of increasingly closer ties that include the delivery of North Korean ammunition and weapons for use against Ukraine.
The latest reports, which originated from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, have suggested that more than 3,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, with more than 12,000 expected by December.
Fighter pilots are also among the personnel being sent to Russia, according to South Korean intelligence.
There are rising concerns that the troops and pilots could boost Russian forces in Ukraine, while some analysts have suggested that they may be intended to defend Russian territory or to construct defenses in Russian-held territory in Ukraine.
Last week, South Korean politicians who had been briefed by the country’s spy agency said that the North Korean soldiers sent to Russia had not been deployed in combat zones in Ukraine but were receiving “specialized training” at various locations for military equipment, including drones.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with their South Korean counterparts later this week in Washington.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on October 28 that Austin and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun will discuss the deployment of North Korean soldiers, adding that there will be no limitations on the use of U.S.-provided weapons on them.
“If we see [North Korean] troops moving in towards the front lines, they are co-belligerents in the war,” Singh said. “This is a calculation that North Korea has to make.”
In his remarks, NATO chief Rutte said that North Korean troops had been deployed near Russia’s western border with Ukraine.
“I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region,” he said, mentioning the Russian region that was the target of a surprise Ukrainian incursion in August.
Rutte’s remarks came after a high-level South Korean delegation, including top intelligence and military officials, addressed officials at NATO headquarters.
Putin first visited North Korea to hold talks with its leader, Kim Jong Un, in 2000.
With both sides heavily sanctioned by the international community, Moscow and Pyongyang have worked to expand their military and trade ties, particularly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In September 2023, Putin and Kim Jong Un met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East, and Putin got the red carpet treatment in June during his return to North Korea.
Their dealings reportedly include North Korea’s provision of ammunition and weaponry, including missiles, to Russia in exchange for Moscow possibly helping Pyongyang with its controversial space program.
The United States has previously expressed concerns about the “deepening relationship between these two countries.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned last week that Russia intended to deploy troops from North Korea in combat areas as early as October 27. He called for “tangible” international pressure on the two countries to get them to respect UN legislation.
“The world can clearly see Russia’s true intentions: to continue the war,” he said. “This is why a principled and strong response from global leaders is essential.”
By RFE/RL