North Korean troops in Russia, U.S. confirms

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday told reporters from various media outlets that American officials had seen evidence of North Korean troops in Russia. It’s not yet clear what the troops are doing inside Russia, he added. Austin’s comments confirm similar allegations by the South Korean National Intelligence Service last week. WORLD has reached out to the Department of Defense to confirm Austin’s remarks.

What did South Korea say last week? Seoul reported that the Pyongyang government had sent about 1,500 troops to Russia and more were on the way. Those troops would receive Russian uniforms and fake identification cards before mobilizing to the front lines of Ukraine, South Korean intelligence officials claimed. Seoul also alleged that North Korea had provided thousands of anti-tank rockets and missiles to Moscow. Pyongyang had also provided thousands of artillery shells to Russian forces, it said.

What does Russia have to say? Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Petrov earlier this week denied allegations that North Korean troops were inside Russia’s borders, according to the Russian state-run media outlet TASS. Peskov did acknowledge that there was military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. But he said that cooperation should not worry anyone since it wasn’t directed at any other countries.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report in The Sift about how North Korea destroyed roads it shared with South Korea as a form of international protest.