Pentagon says “small number” of North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region

The Pentagon confirmed on Tuesday that a “small number” of North Korean troops are in Russia’s Kursk region near the Ukrainian border, adding that a few thousand more troops are expected to arrive at any moment.

Last week, White House communications director John Kirby confirmed that North Korea moved at least 3,000 troops into eastern Russia from early to mid-October.

Now the Pentagon says about 10,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and are preparing to be sent to the battle lines alongside Russian troops in their fight against Ukraine.

“We believe that the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) has sent approximately 10,000 troops in total to train in eastern Russia and that these troops are likely to reinforce Russian forces near Ukraine in the next few weeks,” Pentagon press secretary, major general. Pat Ryder told reporters during a news briefing Tuesday. “Part of these soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine towards Russia’s Kursk Oblast, near the border with Ukraine.”

NORTH KOREA SENDS WARNING TO SOUTH KOREA, SAYS TROOPS READY TO STRIKE IF MORE DRONES COME TO YOU

Ryder said the troops are in addition to a few thousand others already in the Kursk region, adding that the Department of Defense (DoD) is concerned that Russia intends to use the soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukraine.

“Indications that there are already a small number (of North Korean troops) that are actually in Kursk Oblast, with a few thousand more that are either almost there or due to arrive immediately,” he said.

The Pentagon could not yet confirm whether the North Korean soldiers were actually inside Ukraine.

“Initial indications are that these troops will be employed in some sort of infantry role,” Ryder reiterated. “But again, what that could be remains to be seen. So we will continue to monitor closely.”

NORTH KOREA HAS SENT TROOPS TO RUSSIA, PENTAGON CONFIRMS

Like the DoD, President Biden expressed concern about North Korean soldiers preparing to fight Ukraine in Russia.

After speaking about infrastructure in Baltimore on Tuesday, a reporter asked Biden if he was concerned about North Korean troops in Russia.

“I’m concerned about it, yes,” he said.

Biden was then asked if Ukrainians should fight back.

NORTH KOREA BLOWS UP PARTS OF INTER-KOREAN ROAD AND RAIL LINKS IN SYMBOLIC DISPLAY OF ANGER

“If they cross into Ukraine, yes,” Biden said.

Intelligence officials in both South Korea and Ukraine had previously stated that North Korean troops were being transferred to Russia.

“What exactly are they doing? It remains to be seen. These are things we have to fix,” Defense Minister Lloyd Austin has said.

SOUTH KOREAN INTELLIGENCE SAYS NORTH SENT TROOPS TO HELP RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE

Russia and North Korea have denied the troop movements.

Director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, Cho Tae-yong, told lawmakers that North Korea plans to deploy 10,000 troops to Russia by December, a number consistent with claims by Ukrainian intelligence.

South Korea said last week that it may begin sending weapons to Ukraine in response to the deployment. Officials said their response would come in phases linked to the depth of cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

North Korea and Russia, locked in separate confrontations with the West, have greatly strengthened their cooperation in the past two years. The United States, South Korea and their partners have accused North Korea of ​​supplying artillery shells, missiles and other conventional weapons to Russia to help fuel the country’s war against Ukraine in return for economic and military aid.

In June, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact of mutual military assistance if either country is attacked.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.