US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on Thursday that 8,000 North Korean troops in Russia are expected to begin fighting with Ukrainian forces in Kursk “in the coming days.”
The secretary said that of the 10,000 North Korean soldiers believed to be sent to Russia for training, 80% of that force is now in the Kursk region, where Ukraine first launched its offensive in August.
Ukraine has since seized and held 460 square kilometers according to reports earlier this month, not only prompting an exodus from the region but also forcing Russia to fight its war on its territory.
Soldiers march in a parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of North Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, on September 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
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Blinken, speaking with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterparts at a joint press conference on Thursday, said Russia has been training North Korean troops in weapons and basic UAV operations such as trench sweeping that show Moscow is “fully intent.”[s] to use this power in the best works.”
The Russian military also provided these soldiers with uniforms and equipment in what Austin also said “strongly indicates that Russia intends to use these foreign forces in the continuation of its war of choice against Ukraine.”
Damage following what local authorities called a Ukrainian military strike in the town of Sudzha in Kursk Region, Russia, in this photo released on Aug. 6, 2024. (Acting governor of Kursk region Alexei Smirnov via Telegram/Handout via Reuters)
“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin has been throwing many Russians through his self-made meat grinder in Ukraine. Now he’s turning to the North Korean military, and that’s a clear sign of weakness,” Blinken said.
The secretary also said the Russian military is seeing a record high of 1,200 reported deaths per day in eastern Ukraine – a higher rate than Russia has endured at any other time since the war began more than two and a half years ago.
North Korean soldiers participate in a demonstration of the Korean People’s Army and amphibious combat units, in this photo released on March 16 by the Korea Central News Agency. (Reuters/KCNA)
The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia, first confirmed by the Pentagon last week, is the first time in 100 years that Russia has invited foreign troops to its soil, Blinken confirmed.
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When pressed by reporters about whether Ukrainian forces could continue to hold the Kursk area, Austin simply said, “Yes.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a news conference at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
“If you look at what I said earlier about the number of casualties that Russia suffers every day… [and] you do the math in a month — those are huge numbers,” Austin said. “Ten thousand pales in comparison to those kinds of people getting hurt.”
Blinken said additional security assistance would be announced for Ukraine “in the coming days.”
The joint talk came hours after North Korea on Thursday launched its longest ever intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at a range of 620 kilometers in 86 minutes towards the East Sea, Japanese authorities reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un smile during their meeting at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport outside Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
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Austin told reporters Thursday that he does not believe Russia was involved in the latest missile test but said the US continues to work with allies and partners in the region to analyze the launch of the missiles. Although Austin also warned that North Korea’s relationship with Russia could be “hardened”.
“[North Korea] it stands to benefit from this trade,” Austin said of its cooperation with Russia. “This is something we will have to continue to watch very closely.
“It will… encourage them to do more of the kinds of things we’ve seen them do here recently,” he added, referring to the ICBM launch.
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