NATO said for the first time that North Korean troops had been deployed to Russia and were operating in the Kursk border area, where Ukrainian troops are stationed.
Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte said he could confirm the deployment after weeks of intelligence reports, following a meeting with South Korean security and defense officials on Monday.
The newly appointed NATO chief said the deployment represented a “significant escalation” and “dangerous expansion” of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Last week, President Vladimir Putin refused to deny that North Korean troops had arrived in Russia, after it was reported that Pyongyang was preparing to send thousands of soldiers to support its ally.
“This is our sovereign decision,” Mr. Putin said, avoiding the question during the press conference. “Whether we use it or not, where, how or whether we participate in exercises, training or transfer of some experience. That’s our business. ”
South Korea’s intelligence agency said earlier this month that at least 1,500 North Korean soldiers had gone to Russia, prompting Seoul to issue a stern diplomatic rebuke to Moscow.
But Rutte’s intervention on Monday marked the first time NATO has officially acknowledged that Pyongyang forces are operating in Russia. He added that North Korea has sent millions of bullets and ballistic missiles to Moscow for use in Ukraine.
In return, President Putin agreed to send military technology and other assistance to help North Korea evade international sanctions, Rutte said. This partnership is “undermining global peace and security”, he added.
His warning that North Korean troops are operating in Kursk will cause concern in Western capitals. Clashes continue between Moscow and Kiev forces nearly two months after Ukrainian troops first entered the region in a shocking operation.
Russia is said to have redeployed thousands of soldiers to the area, helping to stop Ukraine’s advance. A senior Ukrainian official told the New York Times that about 5,000 elite North Korean soldiers are expected to join the Russian detachment in the border area on Monday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky also said Friday that his government has information that those troops could be on the battlefield in the next few days.
Western leaders have warned for weeks that such a move would risk deepening the conflict.
Last week, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko – a staunch ally of President Putin – appeared to repeat that assessment. He told the BBC that such a move would mark “a step towards an escalation of the conflict”.
North Korea and Russia have become increasingly close since Moscow found itself largely isolated following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Earlier this year, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un reached an agreement agreed with President Putin and committed to Help each other when “aggressive” against either country.
The US has repeatedly accused Pyongyang of sending a large amount of military equipment to Russia, including ballistic missiles and launchers.
However, some experts have questioned the extent to which Pyongyang’s military can support Russia’s war effort. They said that, in addition to the language barrier, the North Korean military has no recent combat experience.
Footage obtained by Ukrainian defense intelligence officials also shows the Russian military expressing doubts about the way the North Korean army is commanded and supplied.
Moscow’s full-scale invasion has now been going on for more than two and a half years, with Rutte claiming that more than 600,000 Russian troops have now been killed or wounded in the conflict. He said the Kremlin “cannot sustain its attack on Ukraine without foreign support”.
Official casualty updates from both sides are rare. But according to an analysis by BBC Russian more 70,000 Russian troops died in combat.
