North Korea sends 3,000 troops to Russia

North Korea has deployed 3,000 of its troops to Russia for practice, and Volodymyr Zelensky fears they will then be sent to fight in Ukraine. He also claims that more North Korean troops could be sent by December.

This major new development was confirmed by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin: “We are seeing evidence that North Korean troops have traveled to Russia.”

Around 3,000 North Korean troops are now reportedly deployed in eastern Russia, but the US does not yet know their precise mission, according to a senior administration official.

North Korean troops have reportedly been observed on Russian territory since September.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has regularly warned that North Korean troops would soon be joining the war alongside Russia, now claims that “10,000” troops are being prepared to go to Russia.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, relations between Russia and North Korea have grown stronger. Moscow, in search of allies in the face of Western sanctions, and Pyongyang, eager to bolster its military and economic support, are engaging in strategic cooperation.

The leaders’ reciprocal visits, including Kim Jong-un’s to Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to North Korea, illustrate this new dynamic.

Putin paid a two-day diplomatic visit to North Korea on June 19, while Kim Jong-un visited Russia on September 13, 2023.

These rapprochements are giving rise to growing concerns about the escalation of the war in Ukraine, as well as about regional and global security.