US confirms 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to eastern Russia
As many as 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to eastern Russia, according to the White House.
In short:
The White House says 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to military training locations in eastern Russia.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says if the forces join the Russian military in fighting Ukraine, they will be considered 'fair game' in the war.
What's next?
NATO has asked South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to send experts to Brussels next week to provide a briefing about what it knows of the deployment.
The United States says it believes 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to several training locations in eastern Russia in a move that could mark a significant escalation in the war with Ukraine.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has described the decision to send the troops as very serious and warned that those forces will be "fair game" if they go into combat on behalf of Russia.
Mr Austin also said Pyongyang could face consequences for aiding Russia directly, after Moscow sought weapons and troops to gain ground in a grinding war that has stalemated after more than two years.
The White House has determined the soldiers were transported by ship in early-to-mid October from North Korea's Wonsan region to the Russian city of Vladivostok, north-east of the North Korean border, before being taken to three military training sites.
South Korea has voiced concerns that Russia may give North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sophisticated weapons technologies in exchange for the deployment of troops.
"We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but this is certainly a highly concerning probability," White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday
"If they do deploy to fight against Ukraine, they're fair game.
"They're fair targets and the Ukrainian military will defend themselves against North Korean soldiers the same way they're defending themselves against Russian soldiers."
South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol said later on Thursday that the country would "review" its stance on providing weapons to Ukraine.
"While we have maintained a principle of not directly supplying lethal weapons, we may review this more flexibly depending on the actions of North Korean forces," Yoon said during a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Seoul.
Russia's war with Ukraine broke out when Russian forces invaded its neighbour in February, 2022 with the conflict developing into a widespread battle of attrition largely fought along front lines in eastern Ukraine, with huge numbers of casualties on both sides.
The South Korean government has been informed by its national intelligence agency that Pyongyang had promised to provide a total of about 10,000 troops to Russia, whose deployment was expected to be completed by December.
South Korean officials have voiced concerns that Russia may give North Korea sophisticated weapons technologies that could boost its nuclear and missile programs that target South Korea, and said that it would consider supplying weapons to Ukraine in response to the reported troop dispatch.
The Kremlin has previously dismissed Seoul's claims about the North's deployment as "fake news" and a North Korean representative to the United Nations in New York called it "groundless rumours" at a meeting on Monday.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have also denied weapons transfers, but they have promised to boost military ties and signed a mutual defence treaty at a summit in June.
Both Russia and North Korea have denied weapons transfers, but promised to boost military ties in a joint signing of a defence treaty.
After the intelligence briefing in Seoul, South Korean politician Lee Seong Kweun said he believes the Russian military is teaching North Korean soldiers how to use military equipment such as drones, but that while Russian instructors have high opinions of the morale and physical strength of the North Koreans, they think they will eventually suffer heavy causalities because they lack an understanding of modern warfare.
In western Europe, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said North Korea sending troops to Ukraine would mark a “significant escalation”, and asked South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to send experts to Brussels next week to brief the military alliance about its intelligence.
AP/Reuters/AFP
By：https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-24/us-says-north-korea-has-deployed-troops-to-russia/104510626(责任编辑：admin)
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