PYONGYANG (dpa-AFX) - The United States says that North Korea has sent at least 3,000 soldiers into eastern Russia, where they are undergoing Russian military training.
This was revealed by National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby at a White House news briefing Wednesday.
According to him, Washington's assessment is that between early- to mid-October, these soldiers traveled by ship from the Wonsan area in North Korea to Vladivostok, Russia. The soldiers then traveled to multiple Russian military training sites in eastern Russia where they are currently undergoing training.
The top U.S. security official cannot confirm if these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but 'this is certainly a highly concerning probability'.
'After completing training, these soldiers could travel to western Russia and then engage in combat against the Ukrainian military. We have briefed the Ukrainian government on our understanding of this situation, and we're certainly consulting closely with other allies, partners, and countries in the region on the implications of such a dramatic move and on how we might respond,' Kirby told reporters.
In his opinion, Russia getting forced to turn to North Korea for manpower would be a sign of weakness, not strength, on the part of the Kremlin.
He said he expects to have more to share on all of that in the coming days, as the U.S. Government will continue to monitor the situation closely.
It would also demonstrate an unprecedented level of direct military cooperation between Russia and North Korea with security implications in Europe as well as the Indo-Pacific.
He noted that Russia's cooperation with the North Korean military is in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions which prohibit the procurement of arms from Pyongyang and military arms training.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin confirmed there are North Korean troops in Russia, but it is unclear if they are preparing to become a co-belligerent in Russia's war on Ukraine.
Austin said the United States is trying to get fidelity on why the North Korean soldiers are in Russia. 'We will continue to pull this thread and see what happens here,' he said. 'If they're co-belligerents - [if] their intention is to participate in this war on Russia's behalf - that is a very, very serious issue.' Impacts of such a move would be felt not only in Europe, but the Indo-Pacific region also, the secretary told reporters in Rome, where he took part in the first G-7 Defense Ministers Meeting.
North Korea is one of Russia's few open allies in its war on Ukraine. North Korea has shipped arms and munitions to Russia, 'and this is a next step,' Austin said.
President Vladimir Putin has taken significant casualties in his misguided war on Ukraine. U.S. officials said recently that Russia has lost more than 300,000 service members since the war began in February 2022. 'This is an indication that he may be [in even] more trouble than most people realize,' Austin said. 'But again, he went 'tin-cupping' early on to get additional weapons and materials from [North Korea], and then from Iran and now he's making a move to get more people, if . these troops are designed to be a part of the fight in Ukraine.'
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