Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un make a toast in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19. North Korea is sending about 10,000 soldiers to Russia to help defeat Ukraine and some troops already are deployed near Ukraine, multiple sources say. File Photo by Vladimir Smirnov/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool/EPA-EFE
Oct. 29 (UPI) — North Korea is sending about 10,000 soldiers to Russia to help defeat Ukraine and some troops already are deployed near Ukraine, multiple sources say. A small number of North Korean troops already are deployed in the Kursk area of Russia and are the lead elements of a Pentagon-estimated 10,000 North Korean troops heading to Russia.
Ukrainian forces in August launched a ground offensive in Russia’s Kursk area and control a significant amount that region.
“We remain concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Kursk,” Pentagon press secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said on Tuesday.
The 10,000 North Korean troops are to be trained in eastern Russia before being deployed, but some already might be in Ukraine.
That number is more than three times greater than the 3,000 North Korean troops that U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials estimated last week.
The North Korean troops are being sent to a front line in unmarked civilian trucks, Ukrainian military intelligence announced on Sunday after intercepting Russian audio communications.
U.S. officials haven’t confirmed if North Korean troops are in Ukraine, but U.S. and South Korean officials are meeting in Washington, D.C., to discuss the growing relationship between North Korea and Russia and relevant troop deployments by those nations, CNN reported.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Ukrainian Presidential Administration Head Andriy Yermak in Washington, D.C., Tuesday to assess the situation.
They discussed U.S. military, economic and diplomatic aid in support of Ukraine, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a news release Tuesday.
Blinken affirmed the United States’ support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and efforts to achieve a “just and lasting peace,” Miller said.