U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday confirmed North Korea has sent troops to Russia to help sustain its invasion and occupation against Ukraine. Austin called it a serious issue. File Photo by Olivier Matthys/EPA-EFE
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Wednesday confirmed North Korea has sent troops to Russia to help sustain its invasion and occupation against Ukraine.
“What exactly they’re doing” remains to be seen, Austin told reporters in Rome. “These are things that we need to sort out.” Advertisement
Austin confirmed there is evidence the North Korean troops are in Russia and called it a “serious issue.”
At the United Nations Tuesday North Korea denied sending roughly 12,000 troops to support Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said last week it had evidence that North Korea had already sent 1,500 special forces troops to Russia via a navy transport ship.
South Korean U.N. Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook said the North Korean troops were given Russian military uniforms, false identification and Russian weapons. He called it an alarming development.
According to South Korean lawmakers, North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia and has promised 10,000 will be sent by December.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday two units of North Korean soldiers, each with as many as 6,000 personnel, are being trained for deployment. Advertisement
Zelensky said while Ukraine knows how to deal with the troops, it’s important that Ukraine’s partners not hide from the North Korean challenge.
According to U.S. intelligence, no North Korean troops have yet reached Ukraine. They landed in Vladivostok in eastern Russia.
American intelligence officials have indicated they are about to release evidence of the North Korean troop movement into Russia that includes satellite photos.
South Korea’s intelligence told NBC News the North Korean deployment includes missile technicians that will be deployed to the front lines in Ukraine.
The agency said those troops are there to support Russia’s use of North Korean missiles against Ukraine.
Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week claimed North Korea is a close neighbor and partner and that the close cooperation with Russia is not directed against third parties.
