US says 8,000 North Korean soldiers to begin combat operations in war with Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on Thursday that 8,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia are expected to begin combat operations against Ukrainian troops in Kursk “in the coming days.”

The secretary said that of the 10,000 North Korean soldiers believed to have been sent to Russia for training, 80% of that force is now in the Kursk region, where Ukraine first launched an incursion in August.

Ukraine has since captured and held onto roughly 460 square miles according to reports earlier this month, not only prompting civilian evacuations from the region but also forcing Russia to fight its war on its own territory. 

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Blinken, speaking alongside Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and their South Korean counterparts in a joint press conference Thursday, said Russia has been training the North Korean troops in artillery and UAV basic infantry operations like trench clearing in an indication that Moscow “fully intend[s] to use these forces in frontline operations.”

The Russian military has also apparently provided these troops with uniforms and equipment in what Austin also said “strongly indicates that Russia intends to use these foreign forces in frontline operations in its war of choice against Ukraine.”

Damage following what local authorities called a Ukrainian military strike in the town of Sudzha in the Kursk Region, Russia, in this handout image released on Aug. 6, 2024. (Acting Governor of Kursk Region Alexei Smirnov via Telegram/Handout via Reuters)

“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin has been throwing more and more Russians into a meat grinder of his own making in Ukraine. Now he’s turning to North Korean troops, and that is a clear sign of weakness,” Blinken said. 

The secretary also said Russian troops are seeing record high casualty rates with some 1,200 casualties reported a day in eastern Ukraine – a rate that is more than Russia has endured at any other time since the war began more than two and half years ago.

North Korean soldiers participate in a demonstration of the Korean People’s Army’s air and amphibious combat units, in this picture released on March 16 by the Korean Central News Agency. (Reuters/KCNA)

The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia, first confirmed by the Pentagon a week ago, is the first time in 100 years that Russia has invited foreign troops onto its soil, confirmed Blinken. 

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When pressed by reporters about whether Ukrainian forces can continue to hold onto the territory in Kursk, Austin said simply, “Yes.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a news conference at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

“If you take a look at what I said earlier in terms of the numbers of casualties that Russia is suffering on a daily basis… [and] you do the math on a given month – those are pretty big numbers,” Austin said. “Ten thousand pales in comparison to those kinds of casualties.”

Blinken said additional security assistance will be announced for Ukraine in “the coming days.”

The joint address came just hours after North Korea on Thursday also launched its longest ever intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) roughly 620 miles over an 86-minute period in the direction of the East Sea, reported Japanese authorities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un smile during their meeting at the Pyongyang Sunan International Airport outside Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

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Austin told reporters on Thursday he did not believe Russia had any involvement in the latest missile test but said the U.S. is continuing to work with allies and partners in the region to analyze the missile launch. Though Austin also warned that North Korea’s partnership with Russia is likely to “embolden” it.

“[North Korea] stands a chance of gaining in this exchange,” Austin said in reference to its partnership with Russia. “This is something we’re going to have to continue to watch very, very closely. 

“It will… potentially embolden them to do more of the kinds of things that we’ve seen them do here recently,” he added in reference to the ICBM launch.