North Korea sends about 10,000 troops to Russia for war against Ukraine - Pentagon

This was announced by Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh at a briefing, AP reports.

According to her, Pyongyang sent about 10 thousand of its soldiers to Russia. There they will be trained to take part in hostilities against Ukraine, which will happen ‘over the next few weeks’.

"If we see DPRK troops moving in towards the front lines, they are co-belligerents in the war," Singh said.

She also noted that the North Korean military had moved closer to Ukraine.

At the same time, the Pentagon spokeswoman added that US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will discuss the situation with the DPRK military's movement to Russia with his South Korean counterpart Kim Yong-hyun.

Military cooperation between Russia and North Korea

On October 4, the Kyiv Post reported that 20 soldiers were killed in a missile strike on occupied Donetsk, including six North Korean military personnel advising the Russian army.

The South Korean Defense Minister warned on October 8 that North Korea may deploy troops to Ukraine in support of Russia.

At an October 17 press conference in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed Russia's plan to train 10,000 North Korean soldiers for combat in Ukraine.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, later reported that 11,000 North Korean infantrymen are training in eastern Russia, preparing for deployment to Ukraine. He added that the first unit of 2,600 soldiers is en route to Kursk, where Ukraine has established a stronghold.

Ukraine has since shared intelligence with NATO about North Korea’s military involvement and requested data from alliance members.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the participation of the North Korean military in the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia would mean a “significant escalation.” 

Later, it was reported that South Korea was considering providing Ukraine with military and intelligence assistance in response to North Korea's sending its military to fight on the side of Russia.

The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reported that on October 23, the North Korean military was spotted in the Kursk region.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that according to intelligence, the first North Korean military would be used by Russia in combat zones on October 27-28.

On October 25, South Korea's intelligence agency announced that North Korea plans to send a second batch of its military personnel to Russia, totaling up to 10,000 people.