North Korean Troops Actively Fighting Ukrainian Forces in Russia’s Kursk, Washington Says

Moscow and Pyongyang have neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean troops in the Russian border region.

State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel speaks with reporters during a press briefing at the Department of State in Washington on July 27, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

North Korean military personnel are fighting alongside their Russian counterparts in Russia’s western Kursk region, parts of which Ukrainian forces overran this summer in a cross-border offensive, the U.S. State Department has announced.

“I can confirm that over 10,000 [North Korean] soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a Nov. 12 press briefing.