US confirms 3,000 North Korean soldiers have arrived in Russia, continues warning

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on October 23 that at least 3,000 soldiers from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have been sent to Russia.

"We assess that since early to mid-October, North Korea has moved at least 3,000 troops into eastern Russia," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, according to AFP.

Mr Kirby also said the North Korean soldiers had traveled by train from North Korea to Vladivostok and then to “multiple military training sites in eastern Russia where they were being trained”.

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Mr Kirby stressed that “we do not yet know whether these soldiers will fight alongside the Russian military”, but “if these North Korean soldiers decide to join the fight against Ukraine, they will become legitimate military targets”.

Also on October 23, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that "there is evidence that North Korean troops are in Russia" but said that "exactly what they are doing remains to be seen." The minister stressed that it would be very serious if North Korean forces were preparing to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine.

North Korean soldiers during a training exercise in March.

Earlier in the day, South Korean lawmakers said North Korea had sent 3,000 troops to Russia to support Russia's military campaign in Ukraine. The lawmakers made the claim after hearing a report from the National Intelligence Service, Reuters reported.

South Korean lawmakers added that North Korea has pledged to send a total of 10,000 troops and that the deployment will be completed by December.

At a press conference on October 23, when asked about the above issue, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that reporters should ask North Korea, according to AFP. "Where are they (North Korean soldiers), please clarify this with Pyongyang," Ms. Zakharova said.

North Korean state media has not commented since South Korea's spy agency said last week that Pyongyang had decided to deploy "large-scale" troops to Russia to counter Ukraine, according to AFP.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-xac-nhan-3000-binh-si-trieu-tien-da-den-nga-tiep-tuc-canh-bao-185241024071157955.htm