North Korea has sent around 10,000 troops to train in Russia, the Pentagon said Monday, an estimate three times higher than the previous one at a time when NATO and the EU are worried about a dangerous escalation .
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Moscow and Pyongyang have strengthened their military cooperation since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but the involvement of North Korean troops in the fighting would mark a major step forward.
“ We believe that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea sent around 10,000 troops for training in eastern Russia ”, which will have “ probably » as a consequence “ a strengthening of Russian forces near Ukraine in the coming weeks “said deputy Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh, using North Korea’s official name. “ Part » of these troops « has already moved closer to Ukraine “, she added.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reacted to the Pentagon’s estimates, denouncing on Tuesday a ” illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea » which represents “ a significant security threat » worldwide. North Korean generals could also go to the Ukrainian front, a South Korean lawmaker said Tuesday, citing South Korean intelligence.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expected, based on his intelligence services, that North Korean troops deployed in Russia would be “ soon 12,000 », fearing to see them next on the battlefield in Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden described this deployment as “ very dangerous “. The United States also communicated this to Beijing, saying that China “ should be concerned about the destabilizing action of two of its neighbors, Russia and North Korea “, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
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