North Korea has sent around 10,000 soldiers to Russia to train and fight in Ukraine

• North Korea Troops Deployed in Kursk
• North Korea Sends 10,000 Soldiers
• Global and Geopolitical Tensions Rise

North Korea has sent around 10,000 soldiers to Russia to train and fight in Ukraine, according to Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh, who confirmed this on Monday.

Some of these soldiers are already closer to the Ukrainian border, Singh added.

The spokesperson expressed concern that Russia might use these troops to combat or support operations in the Kursk region, north of Ukraine.

Singh also warned that if they are confirmed to be participating in the battlefield, North Korean soldiers would be considered belligerents and legitimate targets.

Implications of North Korea Troops Presence in the Indo-Pacific, According to the Pentagon

The presence of North Korean troops could have serious implications for security in the Indo-Pacific region, Singh indicated.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to discuss this issue with his South Korean counterparts at a meeting scheduled for this week at the Pentagon.

Austin has made it clear that there will be no restrictions on the use of U.S.-supplied weapons against these forces.

“If we see DPRK troops approaching the front lines, they will be considered co-belligerents in the war,” Singh stated.

NATO, for its part, confirmed that some North Korean troops are already deployed in the border region of Kursk, where Russia faces a Ukrainian incursion.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte described this deployment as “a significant escalation” and a “dangerous widening” of Russia’s war.

The arrival of thousands of North Korean soldiers in Europe could increase pressure on Ukraine’s already strained forces.

This move could also heighten geopolitical tensions on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific region, according to Western sources.

Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to alter the global power dynamic, relying on alliances with countries such as China, India, Iran, and now North Korea.

Moscow has received direct assistance from Iran, which has supplied drones, and from North Korea, which has sent ammunition, according to Western governments.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov downplayed Rutte’s statements and highlighted the security pact signed between Pyongyang and Moscow in June.

Lavrov avoided confirming the presence of North Korean soldiers on Russian soil but criticized the alleged presence of Western military instructors in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, the situation remains critical in the Donetsk region, where Russian forces have taken the village of Tsukuryne, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Concerns are mounting with the upcoming U.S. presidential election, as a possible victory by Donald Trump could reduce military aid to Ukraine.

Rutte stated that NATO is “actively consulting with the alliance, Ukraine, and our Indo-Pacific partners.”

However, it has not been specified how NATO allies will respond to North Korean involvement in the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had already warned that North Korean troops would be on the battlefield within days.

Despite the warnings, European officials have yet to find concrete evidence of North Korean soldiers’ presence in Kursk.

The international community continues to closely monitor this new phase of the war in Ukraine.

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