North Korea has dispatched 10,000 troops to Russia, with most of them deployed in the western Kursk Oblast and taking part in combat, a Pentagon spokesperson said during a press briefing on Nov. 12.
Washington is echoing earlier warnings from Kyiv that Pyongyang's troops have been deployed in the warzone in an unprecedented escalation of Russia's war against Ukraine.
"Today I can confirm that over 10,000 (North Korean) soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia, and most of them have moved to the far western Kursk Oblast, where they have begun engaging in combat operations with Russian forces," spokesperson Vedant Patel said.
"Russian forces have trained the (North Korean) soldiers in artillery, in UAV and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, which are critical skills for front-line operations."
According to Patel, the effectiveness of North Korean soldiers will "in large part be dictated by how well the Russians can integrate them into their military."
Russia is mustering a force of 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops, to launch a counter-offensive against a Ukrainian salient in Russia's Kursk Oblast, the New York Times reported on Nov. 10.
The new force comes as Russia saw its heaviest losses last month, and the North Korean troops could be replacing injured and killed Russian soldiers, according to some experts.
Clashes between the Ukrainian and North Korean soldiers are currently underway, Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Nov. 5. North Korean troops have already suffered casualties, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Nov. 7, without specifying the number.
Kateryna Hodunova
