There is evidence that North Korean troops are in Russia, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Rome on Oct. 23, Reuters reported.
Austin's comment comes as the first public confirmation by the U.S. of previous statements by Ukraine and South Korea. The two nations say Russia is planning to involve thousands of North Korean troops in its full-scale war.
"There is evidence that there are DPRK (North Korean) troops in Russia. What exactly they are doing? Left to be seen. These are things that we need to sort out," the Pentagon chief said.
Austin did not specify the number of North Korean troops that had arrived in Russia.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), said that the first North Korean units were expected to arrive in Kursk Oblast on Oct. 23 . Ukraine began a cross-border incursion in August and still holds significant swathes of territory there.
Earlier in October, Budanov said that the first group would consist of 2,600 soldiers.
Two North Korean brigades of up to 6,000 personnel each are currently undergoing training in Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. According to military intelligence, some North Korean officers are already in the occupied territories of Ukraine, he said on Oct. 17.
North Korea has denied the reports, while a Kremlin spokesperson gave an evasive answer on the issue.
A military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 21 that Russian authorities detained 18 North Korean soldiers who abandoned their positions in Kursk Oblast. Video footage has also circulated purporting to show North Korean troops at a Russian military training camp.
South Korean media reported on Oct. 22 that Pyongyang has dispatched pilots who can fly Russian warplanes to join the war in Ukraine. South Korea's Yonhap agency also said that South Korea is considering sending personnel to Ukraine to monitor North Korean troops.
Chris York
(Updated: )
