The Pentagon confirmed today that a “small number” of North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, just miles from the Ukrainian border. Speaking at a press briefing, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder voiced U.S. concerns that these troops may soon see combat against Ukrainian forces. He warned of a larger wave, saying, “There are indications that a couple thousand more North Korean troops are either close to arriving or expected imminently.”
President Joe Biden expressed his own concerns, asserting that Ukrainian forces have the right to strike back if North Korean troops cross into Ukraine. Biden’s comments followed a briefing where he underscored the potential escalation that North Korea’s involvement poses to the ongoing conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky echoed the alarm, confirming discussions with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Zelensky reported that 3,000 North Korean soldiers are stationed near Ukraine’s front lines, with expectations for that number to increase up to 12,000. “This war has gone beyond borders,” Zelensky stated, underlining the growing international scope of the conflict. In his statement, he also hinted at deeper collaboration between Ukraine and South Korea, including intelligence-sharing and joint countermeasures against North Korea’s involvement.
On the U.S. side, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Zelensky’s top aide, Andriy Yermak, in Washington to further discuss Ukraine’s “victory plan” and strategize additional sanctions against Russia. “Military aid, stronger sanctions, and increased pressure on Moscow’s allies are essential,” Yermak posted, marking a unified stance on containing the crisis.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian cities continue to face heavy bombardment. In Kharkiv, a second Russian airstrike in under six hours killed four people and damaged civilian infrastructure, according to the city’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov. In Kyiv, Russian drones struck early this morning, injuring six civilians, including one critically, underscoring the constant threat to civilian lives across Ukraine.
As tensions mount with North Korea’s apparent alignment with Russia, Zelensky will address this international expansion of the conflict with Nordic leaders in Reykjavik and attend a conference in Canada to discuss the abduction of Ukrainian children from occupied territories by Russian forces—a move he condemns as an attempt to erase Ukraine’s future generation.
