NATO Chief Claims North Korean Troops Deployed to Russia’s Kursk Region

Rutte did not say the soldiers were involved in combat, but his comments back claims made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about North Korean troops preparing to fight in Kursk, a threat Ukraine has been hyping to gain more support from his Western backers. Rutte previously denied Ukrainian claims that North Koreans were already fighting in the war.

Also on Monday, the US claimed that 10,000 North Korean troops had been sent to Russia and that a “portion” of them have moved closer to Ukraine. “We believe that North Korea has sent around 10,000 total soldiers to train in eastern Russia that will probably augment Russian forces near Ukraine over the next several weeks,” a National Security Council spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency.

North Korea has previously denied it sent troops to Russia, but Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t deny the allegations about North Korean troops being sent to Russian territory when asked about it last week.