UKRAINE
North Korean troops reach Russian combat zone
October 25, 2024 - Ukraine says North Korean troops have arrived in the “combat zone” in Russia’s Kursk border region to help Moscow troops fighting off a Ukrainian incursion.
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The soldiers are expected to fight Ukrainian forces who successfully launched an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August.
The U.S. said for the first time on Oct 23 that it had seen evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, Reuters reported.
The North Korean soldiers were transported by ship in early-to-mid October from North Korea's Wonsan region to the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok before being taken to three military training sites in eastern Russia, said Kirby.
Russia and North Korea have sharply boosted their cooperation in the past two years, and in June they signed a major defense deal requiring both countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance if either is attacked.
North Korea has 1.2 million troops, one of the largest standing armies in the world, but it hasn’t fought in large-scale conflicts since the 1950-53 Korean War.