North Korean troops deployed to Russia, confirms NATO chief

North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and military units have been deployed to the region of Kursk, NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Monday, confirming earlier intelligence from Ukraine.

Pyongyang’s involvement marks a “significant escalation in the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea]’s ongoing involvement in Russia’s illegal war” and a “dangerous expansion of Russia’s war,” Rutte said, adding that it also signaled Putin’s “growing desperation” after losing over 600,000 soldiers to the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned last week that North Korean soldiers could join the Russian army in “combat zones” as soon as October 27 or 28. Pyongyang has long been accused of supplying Moscow with weapons in return for crucial technology.