Blinken: Approximately 8,000 North Korean soldiers located in Kursk region
Photo: Antony Blinken, head of the US State Department (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The US has identified around 8,000 North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. They may take part in combat operations in the coming days, according to a statement from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a press conference.
He noted that, according to US estimates, there are about 10,000 North Korean military personnel in Russia.
"The most recent information indicates that as many as 8,000 of those North Korean forces have been deployed to the Kursk region. We've not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we would expect that to happen in the coming days," Blinken specified.
According to him, the Russians are training North Korean soldiers in artillery, drones, and basic infantry operations, including trench digging. This indicates that the North Koreans are being prepared for use in frontline operations.
"If these troops engage in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine, they would be counted legitimate military targets," the US Secretary of State emphasized.
North Korean soldiers in Russia
Ukrainian intelligence was the first to report the arrival of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. This happened last week.
The Defense Intelligence also released intercepted conversations of Russian military personnel, indicating the transfer of North Korean soldiers to the Kursk region. Notably, the Russians were dissatisfied with this "assistance" and even threatened to kill their "allies."
