White House: North Korea will send thousands of troops to Russia

From early to mid-October, North Korea moved at least 3,000 soldiers into eastern Russia. It was assessed that these soldiers traveled by boat from Wonsan, North Korea, to Vladivostok, Russia. These soldiers were then moved to several Russian military training sites in eastern Russia where they are currently undergoing training. We don’t yet know whether these soldiers will join the Russian army in combat, but this is certainly a very worrying possibility. We have briefed the Ukrainian government on our understanding of the situation and are consulting closely with other allies, partners and countries in the region on the implications of such a dramatic move and how to respond. If Russia were to turn to North Korea for manpower, it would be a sign of Kremlin weakness, not strength. It would also demonstrate an unprecedented level of direct military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, with implications for security in the Indo-Pacific as well as Europe.