North Korean troops spotted in Russian border region with Ukraine, says Kyiv

A group of North Korean soldiers have been spotted in Russia’s Kursk region, an area that borders Ukraine and has seen ongoing military operations, Ukraine’s military intelligence service announced Thursday.

In a post on its official Telegram account, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said some North Korean troops, who had received training in Russia’s far east, have made their way to the western Russia region, where Ukraine has maintained a foothold since launching an incursion in August.

The intelligence service said the troops had been seen in Kursk on Wednesday. It added that the roughly 12,000 North Korean soldiers that have been deployed to Russia are receiving training at five military training grounds in the country’s east.

The Kremlin had initially dismissed allegations of North Korean troop deployments, but on Thursday at the BRICS summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not deny that Pyongyang had sent soldiers to the country.

Last week, CNN geolocated social media videos showing troops arriving at the Sergeevka training ground, close to Russia’s border with China.

Thursday’s 12,000 figure is larger than had been previously been flagged by US officials. On Wednesday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers arrived in eastern Russia this month.

Ukrainian intelligence services said Thursday that “several weeks” have been allocated for the coordination of the North Korean troops which includes 500 officers and three generals.

Ukraine had repeatedly warned that warming relations between Russia and North Korea could see Pyongyang take a more direct role in the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Kyiv had intelligence about Russia “training two military units from North Korea” involving perhaps “two brigades of 6,000 people each.” He added that Ukraine has seen North Korean “officers and technical staff in the temporarily occupied territories” and believes Russia is “preparing a grouping” to enter Ukraine.

The issue has raised alarm bells among Ukraine’s allies. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called it a “major escalation in the war” during a Thursday interview with CNN’s Isa Soares. “It’s no longer regional, it’s no longer just European – it is a global conflict, and it affects everybody,” Landsbergis said.

Russia’s president did not deny the presence of the North Korean troops when pressed on the issue on Thursday.

When asked by journalists about reports that North Korea was sending troops to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine, Putin said his country is “in contact” with Pyongyang.

“We have never doubted that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously,” he told a press conference in Kazan, Russia. “But what and how we will do is our business.”

Russia and North Korea, both pariahs in the West, have forged increasingly friendly ties since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

In June, the two nations signed a landmark defense pact and pledged to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event the other is attacked.

North Korea has also faced multiple accusations of providing arms to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine – a charge both countries have denied, despite significant evidence of such transfers.

The arms shipments, which include thousands of metric tons of munitions, have helped Russia replenish its dwindling stockpiles in a war where Ukraine’s forces have long been outgunned and outmanned. Meanwhile, cash-strapped North Korea is believed to have received food and other necessities in exchange.