NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed today in a speech in Brussels that he had received information about the movement of South Korean troops to the Kursk Region of Russia.
The military bloc received this information from representatives of the National Intelligence Service and the Ministry of National Defence of South Korea.
"Allies... have shared their intelligence assessments. Today I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and North Korean military units have been deployed in the Kursk region," the head of the Military Alliance said.
Rutte called the move a ‘significant escalation’ of Russia's full-scale invasion and a dangerous expansion of Russia's war.
In addition, the deployment of DPRK troops is another violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
The Secretary-General called on Russia and the DPRK to immediately cease these actions. He stressed that deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea threatens both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security.
"It undermines peace on the Korean peninsula and fuels Russia's war against Ukraine," Rutte added.
At the same time, he emphasises that the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia is also a sign of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's growing desperation.
Rutte recalled that Pyongyang has already provided Russia with "millions of pieces of ammunition and ballistic Weamissiles", and Moscow is responding by providing North Korea with military technology and other means to circumvent international sanctions.
- Yesterday, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported that Russians were transporting soldiers from the DPRK to the front in trucks with civilian licence plates and made public a relevant intercepted conversation between the occupiers.
- According to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, on 23 October, North Korean soldiers were spotted in the Kursk Region.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy, citing intelligence data, said that on 27-28 October, the first DPRK military would be used by Russia in combat zones.
- Later, Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said that Russia had deployed at least 1,500 troops from North Korea to participate in the war.
- The DIU also reported that the soldiers sent by Pyongyang are being provided with ammunition, bedding, winter clothing and footwear, and hygiene products. In particular, Moscow will provide each North Korean with 50 metres of toilet paper and 300 grams of soap every month, according to the established norms.
- In addition, Russians will assign one translator per 30 DPRK servicemen.