Topline
The years-long Russia-Ukraine war could soon escalate with the direct involvement of North Korean forces, U.S. officials suggested this week, alleging there is evidence thousands of troops were deployed to Russia, as South Korea to vow to take action against its longtime enemy.
Key Facts
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday there is evidence of North Korean troops receiving training in Russia, with White House national security spokesman John Kirby telling reporters that same day the U.S. believes 3,000 North Korean soldiers traveled to Russia via ship.
It’s not clear if the North Koreans have entered the war against Ukraine, but Kirby said deployment of North Korean troops on the battlefield would make them “legitimate military targets.”
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun’s office told NBC News it expects North Korea to bolster Russia with artillery troops, military engineers and special forces who will eventually number around 12,000.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told reporters Thursday the country could potentially directly supply Ukraine with weapons “depending on North Korea’s military activities,” which would mark a shift for South Korea, which has limited itself to not sending arms straight to Ukraine, instead sending ammunition to the country via the U.S. and weapons to neighboring countries like Poland, according to NPR.
Russia and North Korea have denied the reports of North Korean involvement, with a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman saying Wednesday they were “work of the media propaganda,” according to The Washington Post, though Russian President Vladimir Putin did not explicitly deny the presence of North Korean troops Thursday.
The U.S. does not have troops deployed in Ukraine but has sent billions in aid to the country and provided training for its soldiers.
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What Is North Korea’s Relationship With Russia?
Russia and North Korea’s ties date back to the 20th century, when North Korea and the Soviet Union maintained economic and military links, though Russia has shown caution in the past as North Korea’s nuclear program has led to global sanctions. The relationship between North Korea and Russia has strengthened significantly in recent years, as Russia has faced a swath of sanction from the West due to its Ukraine invasion that have incentivized it to look elsewhere for economic opportunity. This summer, Russia and North Korea agreed to a defense treaty establishing mutual assistance if either country comes under attack. The U.S. and South Korea have accused North Korea and Russia of swapping military aid, with the State Department claiming in June that North Korea had unlawfully transferred “dozens of ballistic missiles and over 11,000 containers of munitions to aid Russia’s war effort,” according to the Associated Press.
How Has The U.s. Been Involved In The Russia-Ukraine War?
Though the U.S. has not sent its own troops to Ukraine and does not appear eager to do so, it has become one of its largest sources of military aid, providing more than $64.1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022, according to the State Department.
Key Background
The Russia-Ukraine conflict began more than a decade ago, though it was not until 2022, when Russian troops invaded Ukraine, that the war ramped up and provoked more involvement from the U.S. and its allies. The war’s exact death toll on Russia and Ukraine has remained somewhat unclear, though a confidential Ukrainian estimate believed 80,000 Ukrainian troops have died in addition to 400,000 wounded, while Western intelligence have put Russia’s casualties as high as almost 200,000 and its wounded around 400,000, according to The Wall Street Journal. The involvement of North Korean soldiers in the conflict comes as Ukraine wages an offensive in Russia’s southwest region of Kursk, marking a large, costly milestone for the Ukrainian military. Ukraine has also pressed Russia with large-scale drone attacks on military targets and civilian infrastructure as far as Moscow.
Out For Revenge, Ukrainian Marines In Tanks And APCs Just Attacked The Russian Marines Who Executed Nine Ukrainian Prisoners (Forbes)
North Korean troops are in Russia, would be ‘legitimate targets’ in Ukraine, U.S. says (The Washington Post)
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