About 8,000 North Korean troops currently on the border with Ukraine are expected to be deployed in combat soon, according to the US

WASHINGTON – Around 8,000 North Korean soldiers are currently in Russia near the Ukrainian border and are preparing to help the Kremlin fight Ukrainian troops in the coming days, the Biden administration said Thursday.

The new figure represents a dramatic increase from the previous day, when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said only that “some” of the troops had advanced toward the Ukrainian border in the Kursk region, where Moscow forces had also gone fought to repel a Ukrainian incursion.

That would also mean that most of the North Korean troops that the United States and its allies say were sent to Russia are now on the Russian-Ukrainian border.

According to US estimates, there are a total of around 10,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia. Seoul and its allies estimated the number had risen to 11,000, while Ukraine raised the number to as many as 12,000.

Of the 8,000 in Kursk, “we have not yet seen these troops deployed in combat against Ukrainian forces, but we expect that to happen in the coming days,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference with Austin and their South Korean counterparts.

He said Russia has trained North Korean soldiers in artillery, drones and “basic infantry operations, including clearing trenches, indicating that it has full intention of using these forces in front-line operations.”

North Korea’s advance deepen its relations with Russia has raised global concerns about how this could expand the war and what Russian military aid will be provided in return.

It has become a central theme as U.S. and South Korean leaders met in Washington this week, fueling fears that the presence of these soldiers will further destabilize and expand the Asia-Pacific region Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul condemned the operation “strongly” and called for an immediate withdrawal of troops. North Korea’s military actions pose a threat not only to the European continent but also to the Korean Peninsula, and Seoul agrees to “take necessary measures accordingly,” he said.

Austin reiterated that Moscow has provided North Korean troops with Russian uniforms and equipment, another indication that they are likely to be deployed on the front lines.

“Make no mistake, if these North Korean troops participated in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine, they would make themselves legitimate military targets,” Austin said.

However, he said the deployment of North Korean troops was unlikely to cause Ukraine to lose ground in Kursk.

“These 10,000 will not come close to replacing the numbers the Russians have lost in their previous battles,” Austin said. The US estimates that more than 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the conflict, which has lasted more than two years. The U.S. has provided more than $59 billion in military aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia, and Austin promised Thursday that another aid package would be announced soon.

U.S. and South Korean leaders called on China to engage, saying Beijing should be deeply concerned about the moves and the possibility they would further destabilize the region.

“If China is serious about its desire to de-escalate, it should ask Russia some tough questions at this point and ask whether it intends to escalate this conflict through this type of behavior,” Austin said.

The question arises as to what new military technologies North Korea might receive from Russia in return for its deployment, and whether this might prompt other nations to send their own forces to war.

North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday for the first time in nearly a year, demonstrating a possible advance in its ability to launch long-range nuclear strikes on the U.S. mainland. Some experts speculated that Russia may have provided technological assistance to North Korea during the launch.

During the meeting in Washington, the United States, South Korea and Japan released a joint statement condemning the missile launch as a “flagrant violation” of numerous UN Security Council resolutions and criticizing the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, particularly the deployment of North Korean troops.

“We urge North Korea to immediately end its series of provocative and destabilizing actions that threaten peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond,” they said.

In a dramatic moment during a U.N. Security Council meeting early Thursday, U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood referred for the first time to the number of North Korean troops near Ukraine.

“And I have a very respectful question for my Russian colleague: Is Russia still claiming that there are no DPRK troops in Russia? That’s my only question and my final point,” he said.

Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Anna Evstigneeva, did not respond to comment at the meeting convened by Moscow to discuss international peace and security. The meeting was then adjourned.

In addition to troops, North Korea also supplied munitions to Russia, and earlier this month the White House released images it said showed North Korean ships 1,000 containers with military equipment get there by train.

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Lederer reported from the United Nations. Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, and Illia Novikov in Kiev, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

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