Pentagon Says North Korean Troops Heading to Russia’s Embattled Kursk Region

A Pentagon spokesperson said a ‘couple thousand’ North Korean troops are heading to Kursk.

North Korean soldiers turn and look toward their leader, Kim Jong Un, from a military parade vehicle as they carry packs marked with the nuclear symbol during a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this file photo. Wong Maye-E/AP Photo

North Korean forces have been dispatched to Russia’s embattled Kursk region, according to the latest public U.S. military assessments.

Thus far, the U.S. military assesses that there are about 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia. U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, said at an Oct. 29 news briefing that a portion of these North Korean forces “have already moved closer to Ukraine, toward Russia’s Kursk Oblast, near the border with Ukraine.”