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According to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Russia is losing about 12,000 soldiers every day, and the North Korean troops are the first foreign troops to enter the country in a century.
About 10,000 North Korean soldiers are currently in Russia, with about 8,000 of them stationed in the Kursk region, according to information released by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Thursday.
He added that although these troops have not yet fought alongside Ukrainian forces, he expects them to do so in the days ahead.
Blinken made the comments at a press conference on Thursday with Republic of Korea Minister of Defence Kim Yong-hyun, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III, and Republic of Korea Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul.
Blinken said, “We now assess that there are some 10,000 North Korean soldiers in total in Russia. And recent information indicates that as many as 8,000 of those North Korean forces have been deployed in the Kursk region. These troops have not yet been used in the conflict against Ukrainian forces, but we anticipate that they will be in the next few days.”
Additionally, he stated, “Russia has been preparing DPRK soldiers for use in front-line operations by training them in artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles, and basic infantry skills. These troops would be considered legitimate military forces if they participated in combat or combat-support operations against Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin is “throwing Russians in a meat grinder” and is now turning towards North Korea, which is a “clear sign of weakness,” according to the US Secretary of State, who harshly criticised Russia. “Desperation is one of the reasons Russia is turning to North Korean troops,” he said. Putin’s use of North Korean troops is a blatant display of weakness as he continues to put more and more Russians in a meat grinder he created in Ukraine.
“With the deployment of North Korean troops, Russia is suffering about 12,000 casualties a day and this is the first time in 100 years that Russia has invited foreign troops into its country,” Blinken continued.
Notably, after reports from Ukrainian military intelligence indicated that North Korean troops were present in the Kursk border region, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed on October 28 that the troops had been sent to Russia, according to Al Jazeera.
Along with denouncing North Korea’s most recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch, Blinken stated, “Reaffirmation of the United States’ unwavering commitment to security is one of the things that we emphasise today… That is crucial given North Korea’s continuous provocations, which included yesterday’s launch of another ICBM. In the strongest possible terms, we condemn it.
Notably, North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile on Thursday morning, presumably an ICBM-class weapon, according to Japan’s Defence Ministry.
Launched at 7:11 a.m. local time, the missile travelled eastward from inside North Korea’s interior before landing at 8:37 a.m. outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in waters about 200 kilometres west of Okushiri Island on Hokkaido, according to NHK World.
Japan’s Defence Minister Nakatani Gen stated that the missile’s flight duration of one hour and 26 minutes marks the longest-ever trajectory of a North Korean ballistic missile. The missile travelled approximately 1,000 kilometres and peaked at a height of roughly 7,000 kilometres, he added.
This is the first ICBM-class missile launch since December 2023 and North Korea’s 12th ballistic missile or suspected ballistic missile launch of the year.