NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has confirmed that North Korean military personnel are now operating in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, reports European Pravda.
This statement follows earlier Ukrainian intelligence reports that around 11,000 North Korean troops had undergone training in Russia and could engage in the war against Ukraine on 27-28 October. Approximately 3,000 North Korean troops have been already relocated to Kursk Oblast.
Ukrainian military forces gained control of parts of Kursk Oblast during an August offensive, enhancing the strategic significance of their deployment to this area.
Speaking at a briefing on 28 October, Rutte disclosed that a South Korean delegation had informed NATO, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand about North Korean military presence in Russia and their involvement in the war.
“I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk Oblast,” Rutte said.
He characterized this development as “a significant escalation in North Korea’s ongoing involvement in Russia’s illegal war” and “another violation of UN Security Council Resolution.”
According to Rutte, Russia has been receiving ammunition and ballistic missiles from North Korea in exchange for military technology and assistance in circumventing international sanctions.
The NATO chief pointed to this development as a sign of “Putin’s growing desperation,” citing that “over 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Putin’s war, and he is unable to sustain his assault in Ukraine without foreign support.”
South Korean intelligence reported last week that North Korea had deployed 3,000 military personnel to Russia to support operations against Ukraine.
The White House has confirmed this information, prompting Germany and Austria to summon North Korean ambassadors.
Rutte announced plans to discuss these developments with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on 28 October.
Read also:
- WSJ: North Korea sends young, inexperienced, malnourished soldiers to Russia to test ground in Ukraine as “mere cannon fodder”
- South Korean delegation to brief NATO on North Korean troops in Russia
- Zelenskyy: Ukraine will have to fight in Europe against North Korea
