Near 8,000 North Korean troops now at Ukraine's border are expected in combat

Some 8000 North Korean soldiers are now in Russia near Ukraines border and are preparing to help the Kremlin fight against Ukrainian troops in the coming days the Biden administration said ThursdayThe new figure is a dramatic increase from a day earlier when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would only say some of the troops had moved toward Ukraines border in the Kursk region where Moscows forces have struggled to push back a Ukrainian incursionThat also would mean most of the North Korean troops that the US and its allies say have been sent to Russia are now on the RussiaUkraine borderThe US has estimated there are about 10000 North Korean troops in Russia Seoul and its allies assess that the number has increased to 11000 while Ukraine has put the figure higher at up to 12000Of the 8000 in Kursk weve not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces but we would expect that to happen in the coming days Blinken said at a news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their South Korean counterpartsHe said Russia has been training North Korean soldiers in artillery drones and basic infantry operations including trench clearing indicating that they fully intend to use these forces in front line operationsNorth Koreas move to tighten its relationship with Russia has raised concerns around the world about how that may expand the war and what Russian military aid will be delivered in exchangeIts become a key topic as US and South Korean leaders met this week in Washington fueling concerns that the presence of those soldiers will further destabilize the AsiaPacific and broaden Moscows war on UkraineSouth Korean Foreign Minister Cho Taeyul condemned the deployment in the strongest possible terms and called for an immediate withdrawal of the troops North Koreas belligerent actions not only places the European continent but also the Korean peninsula under threat and that Seoul agrees to take necessary measures accordingly he saidThere are questions about what new military technologies North Korea might get from Russia in exchange for the deployment and whether it might lead other nations to send their own forces to fight in the warAlso Thursday North Korea testfired an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in almost a year demonstrating a potential advancement in its ability to launch longrange nuclear attacks on the mainland US Some experts speculated that Russia may have provided technological assistance to North Korea over the launchAs the meeting in Washington was underway the US South Korea and Japan released a joint statement condemning the missile launch as a flagrant violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions and criticizing the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia particularly the deployment of the North Korean troopsWe strongly urge North Korea to immediately cease its series of provocative and destabilizing actions that threaten peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond they saidIn a dramatic moment during a UN Security Council meeting earlier Thursday the deputy US ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood first noted the number of North Korean troops near UkraineAnd I have a very respectful question for my Russian colleague does Russia still maintain that there are no DPRK troops in Russia Thats my only question and final point he saidThe Russian representative at the meeting called by Moscow to discuss international peace and security did not respond to the comment The session was then adjournedAustin says North Korean troops are wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment as they advance toward Ukraine in what he called a dangerous and destabilizing developmentNorth Korea also has provided munitions to Russia and earlier this month the White House released images it said were of North Korea shipping 1000 containers of military equipment there by railThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever