Are North Koreans soldiers joining Putin’s army in the Ukraine war? Everything we know

The US has joined Ukraine and South Korea successful confirming reports of North Korea dispatching troops, estimated to beryllium successful the thousands, to assistance Vladimir Putin’s warfare successful Ukraine.

In caller findings, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said Pyongyang has sent around 3,000 troops – including peculiar forces – to Russia’s acold eastbound for subject grooming and acclimatising astatine the bases there, successful what could beryllium readiness for combat successful the war.

The troops person been supplied with Russian subject uniforms, weapons and mendacious recognition documents up of their deployment for combat, the NIS said.

US defence caput Lloyd Austin marked America’s archetypal confirmation of North Korea and Russia’s subject cooperation successful Ukraine. “We are seeing grounds that determination are North Korean troops” who person gone to Russia, helium said successful Rome connected Wednesday.

"What precisely they’re doing – near to beryllium seen," Mr Austin said. It would beryllium a “very, precise superior issue” if Pyongyang so did articulation the warfare connected Russia’s side, helium said.

US officials said the disclosure was based connected accusation from declassified quality but it is not known for definite that immoderate North Korean soldiers volition articulation the warring successful Ukraine.

The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected reports of North Korean soldiers successful Ukraine arsenic “fake news”.

On Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky said North Korean officers and method unit person already been spotted successful Russian-occupied territories but did not specify when. “I judge they sent officers archetypal to measure the concern earlier deploying troops,” Mr Zelensky said, informing that the information of a 3rd state could escalate the struggle into a satellite war.

The Ukrainian president claimed past week, without providing immoderate details, that his authorities had quality that astir 10,000 soldiers from North Korea were being prepared to join the Russian forces warring successful his country.

“They are preparing connected their onshore 10,000 soldiers but they didn’t determination them already to Ukraine oregon to Russia,” helium told reporters astatine the Nato office successful Brussels.

Ukraine published a video purportedly showing dozens of North Koreans lining up to cod Russian subject fatigues aft South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said Pyongyang had shipped 1,500 peculiar forces troops to Russia's Far East for training.

In the video, soldiers believed to beryllium from North Korea, are seen lasting successful enactment to prime up bags, apparel and different apparel from Russian servicemen.

Ukrainian authorities said they “cannot supply further verification from the sources who provided it to america owed to information concerns”.

Ukraine and Russia person some received weapons from allies since Vladimir Putin invaded successful February 2022, with Kyiv’s warfare effort progressively reliant connected wealth and arms from the West. But neither has yet been backed up by ample deployments of troops from a 3rd country.

The BBC quoted a Russian subject root arsenic saying a “number of North Koreans” had arrived successful the country’s Far East. Sources connected the Ukrainian broadside claimed the Russian subject was forming a portion of astir 3,000 North Koreans portion the Russian root said the fig was “absolutely obscurity near” that figure.

While Ukraine, South Korea and their Western allies person made allegations astir North Korea’s progressive engagement successful Russia’s war, they are yet to marque nationalist grounds to enactment their claims.

What is the grade of North Korea's involvement?

The US believes astatine slightest 3,000 North Korean troops are undergoing grooming astatine 3 subject bases successful eastbound Russia, White House spokesperson John Kirby said connected Wednesday.

According to the White House, the US determined the North Korean soldiers were transported by vessel successful early-to-mid October from North Korea’s Wonsan portion to the eastbound Russian metropolis of Vladivostok earlier being taken to 3 subject grooming sites successful eastbound Russia, Mr Kirby said.

“If they bash deploy to combat against Ukraine, they’re just game,” helium said. “They’re just targets and the Ukrainian subject volition support themselves against North Korean soldiers the aforesaid mode they’re defending themselves against Russian soldiers.”

North Korea is forging person subject ties with Russia conscionable arsenic it is severing relations with South Korea, prompting the US, Japan, South Korea and 8 different Western governments to signifier a caller multinational squad to show the enforcement of sanctions against Pyongyang.

The US Department of the Treasury claimed successful May that Moscow had utilized much than 40 ballistic missiles from North Korea successful its attacks crossed Ukraine arsenic good arsenic different munitions successful breach of UN Security Council resolutions.

Mr Putin and North Korean person Kim Jong-un reportedly signed a communal assistance statement successful June to facilitate the transportation of ammunition and missiles for Moscow’s warfare effort.

The US State Department said determination were signs that North Korea was expanding its proviso of weapons similar artillery shells and missiles to Russia which was “creating further instability successful Europe".

Are North Koreans already warring for Russia?

Ukrainian media reported this period that six North Korean soldiers had been killed successful a rocket onslaught successful eastbound Donetsk connected 3 October. The reports person not been confirmed.

“The contented of deploying regular troops is highly apt owed to the communal agreements that lucifer a subject alliance” betwixt Pyongyang and Moscow, South Korean defence curate Kim Yong-Hyun said earlier this month.

The Kremlin rejected the claim, calling it “yet different fake quality story”.

South Korea’s spy bureau said it utilized AI facial designation exertion to place a delegation of dozens of North Korean officers visiting frontline areas successful Ukraine to instruct Russian soldiers however to run KN-23 ballistic missiles allegedly supplied by Pyongyang.

It besides claimed vessels of Russia's Pacific Fleet were detected moving the North Korean peculiar forces troops to Vladivostok from 8 to 13 October.

A North Korean unit deployment, if confirmed, would bolster the fast-diminishing ranks of the Russian military. Neither broadside makes casualty figures public, but the New York Times reported Russia had seen astatine slightest 115,000 soldiers killed and 500,000 wounded since the commencement of the warfare implicit 2 years ago.

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported past period that astir 1 cardinal Ukrainians and Russians had been killed oregon wounded since the warfare began.

There person been reports successful the past that North Korea sent civilian workers to assistance with reconstruction efforts successful occupied Ukrainian regions captured by Russia aft the warfare started successful February 2022.

How does sending troops to Ukraine payment Pyongyang?

North Korea’s strategical concern with Moscow has deepened importantly since Mr Kim travelled to Russia for a uncommon overseas sojourn past year.

Mr Putin past visited the North this twelvemonth and the 2 leaders signed a defence pact that called for communal assistance “using each disposable means” successful the lawsuit of aggression against either country.

The North would person Russian funds for sending troops to the Ukrainian frontline, wealth which Pyongyang needs to physique its atomic force, said Andrei Lankov, manager of a information investigation steadfast Korea Risk Group.

“Pyongyang would beryllium paid good and possibly get entree to Russian subject technology, which different Moscow would person been reluctant to transportation to North Korea,” Mr Lankov told the BBC.

“It would besides springiness their soldiers existent combat experience, but determination is besides the hazard of exposing North Koreans to beingness successful the West, which is simply a considerably much prosperous place.”

US National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said that immoderate North Korean engagement successful the warfare would correspond a important summation successful its defence ties with Russia.

“It besides indicates a caller level of desperation for Russia arsenic it continues to endure important casualties connected the battlefield successful its brutal warfare against Ukraine,” helium was quoted arsenic saying by The Guardian.

In a amusement of support, Russia successful March vetoed a UN solution that efficaciously abolished monitoring by UN experts of Security Council sanctions against North Korea. It prompted Western accusations that Moscow was acting to shield its arms purchases from Pyongyang to substance its warfare successful Ukraine.

North Korea has shipped astir 7,000 containers filled with munitions to Russia since past twelvemonth and successful instrumentality for 9,000 Russian containers apt filled with aid, South Korea has claimed.

Aiding Russia tin besides backfire connected Pyongyang arsenic North Korea has been nether UN Security Council sanctions since 2006 and the measures person been steadily strengthened implicit the years with the purpose of halting Pyongyang’s improvement of atomic weapons and ballistic missiles.

The Security Council has a North Korea sanctions committee – made up of the 15 assembly members, including Russia – to “examine and instrumentality due enactment connected accusation regarding alleged violations.” It operates by statement and tin designate individuals and entities.

A Security Council subordinate could besides suggest enactment done the adoption of a resolution, but that would necessitate astatine slightest 9 votes successful favour and nary vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, France oregon Britain.

How are the US and its allies responding?

Nato caput wide Mark Rutte said connected Monday that Pyongyang sending troops to Ukraine would importantly escalate the conflict. He antecedently said the confederation had “no grounds that North Korean soldiers are progressive successful the fight”.

He said it was “highly worrying” immoderate mode that North Korea was supporting Russia done “weapons supplies, technological supplies, innovation, to enactment them successful the warfare effort”.

German and British officials besides weighed successful connected Wednesday, with South Korea hinting that it could enactment Ukraine with subject weapons successful the lawsuit of North Korea’s confirmed involvement.

“We don’t adjacent cognize whether we are talking astir 1,500 oregon 12,000, oregon which benignant of soldiers are coming to Russia and to combat wherever and against,” German defence curate Boris Pistorius said. “It’s a benignant of escalation and it shows america a precise important, a precise important aspect. International conflicts are approaching precise rapidly.”

British defence caput John Healey said determination was “not conscionable a interest astir the imaginable for an escalation of struggle successful Europe. There is an indivisible nexus with information concerns successful the Indo-Pacific arsenic well.”

Earlier this week, South Korea’s overseas ministry summoned the Russian ambassador successful Seoul to registry its protestation and request the contiguous withdrawal of alleged North Korean troops from Ukraine.

Kim Hong-kyun, the South’s archetypal vice overseas minister, said the information of North Korean troops successful the warfare successful Ukraine violated UN resolutions and the UN charter and posed superior threats to the information of South Korea.

“We condemn North Korea’s amerciable subject cooperation, including its dispatch of troops to Russia, successful the strongest terms,” the ministry quoted Mr Kim arsenic saying.

The US, Japan and South Korea person separately issued a associated connection condemning North Korea for its atomic and rocket developments, deepening subject practice with Russia and engaging successful allegedly amerciable activities to money its weapons programmes. The connection besides highlighted Washington’s “ironclad” committedness to support its allies.