Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said that North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and using Russian equipment are moving to the Kursk Region of Russia.
According to The Guardian, the US Secretary of Defence said at a press conference following a meeting with his South Korean counterpart that he estimates the number of DPRK soldiers at 11,000. Their involvement in hostilities is "highly likely", which, according to Austin, "could expand and prolong the conflict" and "prompt some allies to take necessary action".
Austin also explained to journalists why the Russians are bringing fighters from the DPRK to the front: "Putin has lost a lot of his own troops and had to choose between this option and declaring a mobilisation.”