US Labels North Korean Troops as ‘Legitimate Target’
According to spokesman John Kirby, Washington estimates that approximately 3,000 North Korean soldiers have gone to Russia for training. Read Full Article at RT.com.
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Washington believes that 3,000 North Korean soldiers have traveled to Russia for training, spokesman John Kirby has stated.
If North Korean soldiers join the Ukraine conflict on Russia’s side, they will become “legitimate military targets” for Kiev’s forces, declared White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted on Wednesday that there is currently an unspecified number of North Korean servicemen in Russia, adding that the Pentagon does not know “what exactly they’re doing.” Austin emphasized that it would be a “very serious issue” if North Korea intended “to participate in this war on Russia’s behalf.”
In a briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Kirby informed reporters that “at least 3,000” North Korean soldiers entered eastern Russia earlier this month and have been dispatched to “multiple Russian training sites.”
Kirby mentioned that the US is unaware of the specific training these soldiers are reportedly receiving, but speculated that they “could travel to western Russia and then engage in combat against the Ukrainian military.”
“If these North Korean soldiers decide to join the fight against Ukraine, they will become legitimate military targets,” he noted.
In response, Pyongyang has labeled claims of sending troops to Russia as “groundless and stereotype rumors.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov asserted that cooperation between Russia and North Korea is “our sovereign right,” but acknowledged that Moscow has encountered “a lot of contradictory information” regarding the issue.
Speculation regarding the DPRK’s involvement surfaced earlier this month when Ukrainian media outlets reported North Korean troop casualties in the Donetsk Region, though no evidence was presented to support these claims.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky asserted two weeks later that North Korean “officers and technical staff” had been sighted near the front line, indicating that Pyongyang was planning to dispatch 10,000 soldiers for participation in the conflict.
Recently, South Korea’s spy agency, the NIS, reported that North Korea had sent 1,500 troops to Russia for training. These soldiers “are expected to be deployed to the front lines once their adaptation training is completed,” the agency stated.
In June, Russia and North Korea entered into a landmark Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang. The agreement includes a mutual commitment by Russia and North Korea to assist one another if either is “put in a state of war by an armed invasion.”
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
If North Korean soldiers join the Ukraine conflict on Russia’s side, they will become “legitimate military targets” for Kiev’s forces, declared White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted on Wednesday that there is currently an unspecified number of North Korean servicemen in Russia, adding that the Pentagon does not know “what exactly they’re doing.” Austin emphasized that it would be a “very serious issue” if North Korea intended “to participate in this war on Russia’s behalf.”
In a briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Kirby informed reporters that “at least 3,000” North Korean soldiers entered eastern Russia earlier this month and have been dispatched to “multiple Russian training sites.”
Kirby mentioned that the US is unaware of the specific training these soldiers are reportedly receiving, but speculated that they “could travel to western Russia and then engage in combat against the Ukrainian military.”
“If these North Korean soldiers decide to join the fight against Ukraine, they will become legitimate military targets,” he noted.
In response, Pyongyang has labeled claims of sending troops to Russia as “groundless and stereotype rumors.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov asserted that cooperation between Russia and North Korea is “our sovereign right,” but acknowledged that Moscow has encountered “a lot of contradictory information” regarding the issue.
Speculation regarding the DPRK’s involvement surfaced earlier this month when Ukrainian media outlets reported North Korean troop casualties in the Donetsk Region, though no evidence was presented to support these claims.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky asserted two weeks later that North Korean “officers and technical staff” had been sighted near the front line, indicating that Pyongyang was planning to dispatch 10,000 soldiers for participation in the conflict.
Recently, South Korea’s spy agency, the NIS, reported that North Korea had sent 1,500 troops to Russia for training. These soldiers “are expected to be deployed to the front lines once their adaptation training is completed,” the agency stated.
In June, Russia and North Korea entered into a landmark Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang. The agreement includes a mutual commitment by Russia and North Korea to assist one another if either is “put in a state of war by an armed invasion.”
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
