U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Saturday that thousands of North Korean troops currently stationed in Russia are expected to join the fight against Ukraine “soon.”
During a visit to Fiji, Austin stated that approximately 10,000 North Korean soldiers are believed to be stationed in Russia’s Kursk region, near the Ukrainian border, where they are being integrated into Russian military units.
“Given their training and how they’ve been incorporated into Russian formations, I fully anticipate seeing them engaged in combat soon,” Austin told reporters.
He noted, however, that there has not yet been substantial evidence of North Korean troops actively participating in combat operations.
On Thursday, South Korean officials and a research group reported that Russia had provided North Korea with oil, anti-air missiles, and economic aid in exchange for military support—an assertion supported by both Washington and Seoul.
Ukraine has raised concerns that Russia, now reinforced by North Korean soldiers, has assembled a 50,000-strong force aimed at retaking areas along the border that the Ukrainian troops captured earlier.
In a surprise offensive in August, Ukrainian troops seized parts of Kursk, even as their resources were heavily committed to the ongoing conflict in the Donetsk region, which has been a central battleground for nearly three years.
