North Korean troops massed in Russia to enter Ukraine war 'soon,’ Pentagon chief says

Sydney — 

The United States expects that thousands of North Korean troops massing successful Russia volition "soon" participate combat against Ukraine, Pentagon main Lloyd Austin said Saturday.

About 10,000 North Korean soldiers were believed to beryllium based successful the Russian borderline portion of Kursk, Austin said, wherever they were being "integrated into the Russian formations."

"Based upon what they've been trained on, the mode they've been integrated into the Russian formations, I afloat expect to spot them engaged successful combat soon," Austin told reporters during a stopover successful the Pacific federation of Fiji.

Austin said helium had "not seen important reporting" of North Korean troops being "actively engaged successful combat" to date.

South Korean authorities officials and a probe radical connected Thursday said Russia has provided Pyongyang with oil, anti-air missiles and economical assistance successful speech for the troops Washington and Seoul person accused it of sending.

Kyiv has warned that Moscow, alongside the North Korean soldiers, has present amassed a 50,000-strong unit to wrest backmost parts of the borderline portion seized by Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine claimed swathes of Kursk successful August during a lightning violative adjacent arsenic its troops were thinly stretched successful the Donetsk region, which has borne the brunt of astir 3 years of fighting.