About 8,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to the Russian side of the border with Ukraine, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said. He warned that Moscow is preparing to send these troops into battle within the next few days. British media The Guardian reported this news.
Anthony Blinken said that North Korea has sent a total of 10,000 troops to Russia. They were first deployed to training bases in Russia, and later most were sent to the Kursk region on the border with Ukraine.
Blinken said in a press conference that these soldiers have been trained in Russia. These include artillery, drones, basic infantry tactics, and even trench-clearing operations. He said this training proves that Russia will use them for war purposes on the frontline.
According to the US, this is the first clear indication of large-scale foreign military deployment since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. The escalation of the war could become Europe's largest land war since World War II and could be linked to rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Blinken, in a meeting with the South Korean foreign and defense ministers in Washington, said that Russia is using North Korean troops because it is now in dire straits. Putin has pushed Russia's military into deadly combat. Now he is looking at North Korea, which is a clear indication of his weakness.
Blinken also said that China has an important role in this regard.
North Korea recently test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile. This could indicate a possible deal between Putin and Kim Jong-un. Through which North Korea could receive military or space technology in exchange for Russian support.
US, White House, State Department and Defense Department officials have warned that North Korea would become a legitimate military target if it engages in direct war with Russia against Ukraine.
Ahead of a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, the US representative warned that if North Korean troops entered Ukraine with Russian support, they would return home in body bags.
Earlier, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the participation of North Korean troops in the Ukraine war is only a matter of a few days. In an interview with South Korean media, KBS, he said that Putin wants to reduce the losses of Russian troops and will use them by sending North Korean troops to the front.
Zelensky also said that through this deployment, Putin is checking the reaction of South Korea and NATO member states, and then he will decide on the extension of this deployment.
The Pentagon and South Korea's defense ministry warned Pyongyang on Thursday to withdraw its troops from Russia. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said North Korean troops would be Russia's allies and would likely be killed and wounded as a result of the war.
