CNN —
A group of North Korean soldiers has been discovered in Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, and a military operation continues, Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Service announced Thursday.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Service said in a post on its official Telegram account that some North Korean soldiers trained in Russia’s Far East have moved to Russia’s western regions, and since Ukraine began its invasion of the region. It said it has maintained a foothold in the region. August.
Intelligence agencies announced that troops were sighted in Kursk on Wednesday. He added that about 12,000 North Korean soldiers sent to Russia are undergoing training at five military training ranges in the country’s east.
The Kremlin initially denied allegations of sending North Korean troops, but at Thursday’s BRICS summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not deny that North Korea had sent soldiers to North Korea.
Last week, CNN obtained geolocation information for a social media video showing troops arriving at the Sergeyevka training range near the Russia-China border.
Thursday’s figure of 12,000 is higher than previously cited by U.S. officials. On Wednesday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers arrived in eastern Russia this month.
Ukrainian intelligence said on Thursday that “several weeks” had been allotted for the coordination of the North Korean military, which includes 500 officers and three generals.
Ukraine has repeatedly warned that if relations between Russia and North Korea deteriorate, North Korea could play a more direct role in the Ukraine war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Kiev had received information that Russia was “training two military units from North Korea,” possibly including “two brigades of 6,000 people each.” . He added that Ukraine had seen North Korean “officers and technical staff in temporarily occupied territory” and believed Russia was “preparing groups” to enter Ukraine.
The issue has caused alarm among Ukraine’s allies. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called this a “significant escalation of the war” in an interview with CNN’s Isa Soares on Thursday. “It’s no longer a regional thing, it’s no longer just a European thing. This is a global conflict and it affects everyone,” Landsbergis said.
The Russian president did not deny the presence of North Korean troops when pressed on the issue Thursday.
When asked by reporters about reports that North Korea was sending troops to Russia’s war against Ukraine, Putin said his country was “in contact” with North Korea.
“I have never doubted that the North Korean leadership takes our agreement seriously,” he told reporters in Kazan, Russia. “But what we do and how we do it is our business.”
Russia and North Korea, both Western pariahs, have become increasingly friendly since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
In June, the two countries signed a landmark defense pact, pledging to provide immediate military assistance by any means necessary if the other is attacked.
North Korea also faces multiple accusations of providing weapons to Russia for use in the Ukraine war, although both countries deny this charge despite significant evidence of such deliveries. are.
The weapons shipment, which included thousands of tons of ammunition, helped Russia replenish its dwindling stockpiles in a war in which Ukraine’s military had long been outnumbered in weapons and personnel. Meanwhile, cash-strapped North Korea is believed to have received food and other necessities in exchange.
