After NATO confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops to Kursk Oblast, the Pentagon announced on October 28 that the United States would introduce new restrictions on Ukraine’s use of American-made weapons if North Korean troops participate in combat. announced that it would not.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina said: “Some of these soldiers are already close to Ukraine, and there are concerns that Russia could use them in combat or conduct combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, close to the Ukrainian border.” There are growing concerns that there may be an intention to provide assistance.” Singh, Reuters reported.
On October 26, the United States announced that it was sending North Korean troops to Kursk Oblast, a region bordering Russia that is facing attacks from Ukrainian forces.
According to the Pentagon, about 10,000 North Korean troops have been dispatched to eastern Russia for training, with an estimated strength of 3,000 as of October 23.
US President Joe Biden called the developments “extremely dangerous.”
Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Service (HUR) already announced on October 24 that the first troops had been deployed to Kursk Oblast. But the Pentagon declined to confirm whether North Korean troops were already in the area.
“It is likely that they are moving in that direction towards Kursk. But we don’t know the details yet,” Singh said.
Earlier, Ukrainian military intelligence announced that Russia was preparing to send 12,000 North Korean soldiers, including 500 officers and three generals. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the first North Korean troops were scheduled to enter the combat zone on October 27 or 28.
Russia and North Korea initially ignored the reports, but have recently become more evasive as evidence of troop deployments mounts.
The US government still prohibits Kiev from using US-made long-range weapons to strike deep into Russia. At the same time, President Zelenskiy announced on October 21 that the United States plans to provide Ukraine with an aid package of $700 million to $800 million to domestically produce long-range capabilities.
“Moscow is hopeless” — North Korean military expert in Russia
The Kyiv Independent spoke to John Forman, an OBE, former British defense attaché in Moscow, about what this development means for the future of Russia’s wars and world affairs.
