Pentagon estimates North Korean soldiers in Russia at 10,000 – Diario La Página –

The Pentagon warned this Monday (10/28/2024) that the United States will not impose restrictions on the use of American weapons against North Korean forces if they are deployed in the war in Ukraine. Washington estimates that some 10,000 soldiers sent by the Pyongyang regime are currently training in eastern regions of Russia.

“A portion of these soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, and we are increasingly concerned about the possibility that Russia may attempt to use them in combat or to support military operations against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, near the border.” “Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters.

Singh did not confirm whether North Korean forces were already in Kursk, as Ukrainian sources and even NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte have maintained. “It seems that they are moving in that direction, but right now I don’t have more details,” the spokesperson clarified. Last week, Washington had put the total number of North Korean soldiers present in Russian territory at 3,000.

“They will be belligerent”
“We believe that North Korea has sent around 10,000 troops in total to train in eastern Russia, which will likely increase Russian forces near Ukraine in the coming weeks,” Singh said. “If we see North Korean troops moving to the border, they will be belligerent,” he added, noting that in that case American weapons could be used against them. “It is a calculation that North Korea must make,” he noted.

According to Rutte, meanwhile, the reinforcement of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea represents a “threat to the security of the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic region.” In exchange for sending troops, Russia “provides North Korea with military technology and other support to circumvent international sanctions,” he added this Monday.

“More than 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Putin’s war and now he is unable to maintain his assault without external support,” Rutte added. For his part, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, said in Delaware that this North Korean aid was a “very dangerous” move.