South Korea, US say 3,000 North Korean troops are entering combat imminently, but experts are unsure that will fundamentally change the course of the war.
Ukraine prepared to fight North Korean troops in the Russian region of Kursk on Wednesday, as the entry of a second nuclear power in Russiaβs war against Ukraine threatened to escalate and broaden the conflict.
The United States Pentagon confirmed on Tuesday that North Korean troops were in Kursk, where Ukraine launched a counter-invasion almost three months ago.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed the deployment on Monday. βToday I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and that North Korean army units are deployed to the Kursk region,β he told reporters.
Ukrainian ground forces commander Oleksandr Pavlyuk said via Telegram on Sunday that an estimated 10,520 Russians were dead or wounded in the preceding week.
In Kursk alone, Russia had suffered 17,800 casualties over the past three months, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii said on Telegram, including 6,600 killed.
