Pentagon confirms 10,000 North Korean troops deployed in Russia’s Kursk region

A “small number” of North Korean troops have been deployed in Russia’s Kursk region, on the Ukrainian border, the Pentagon said Tuesday, expressing concern that they will be used in combat against Kyiv’s troops.

It is the first U.S. confirmation of a North Korean deployment in the region, where Ukrainian troops have been conducting a ground offensive since August and control several hundred square miles (kilometers) of Russian territory.

There are “indications that there’s already a small number that is actually in the Kursk Oblast, with a couple thousand more that are either almost there or due to arrive imminently,” Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder said of North Korea troops.

“We are concerned that they do intend to employ these forces in combat against the Ukrainians, or at least support combat operations against the Ukrainians in the Kursk region,” Ryder said, adding that it remains to be seen exactly how they will be used.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said the previous day that North Korean forces were in Kursk, while the United States had until now only expressed concern that they could be deployed there.

10,000 North Korean troops in Russia

Washington says a total of around 10,000 North Korean troops are currently in Russia.

Experts have said that in return for these forces, North Korea is likely aiming to acquire military technology, ranging from surveillance satellites to submarines, plus possible security guarantees from Moscow.

Russia and North Korea have boosted their political and military alliance in the course of the Ukraine conflict. Both are under sanctions – Pyongyang for its nuclear weapons program, and Moscow for its war against Kyiv.