US says 8,000 North Korean troops are at Ukraine border

About 8,000 North Korean soldiers are now stationed in Russia on the border with Ukraine, the US secretary of state said yesterday, warning that Moscow is preparing to deploy those troops into combat "in the coming days."

- Andrew Roth

Antony Blinken said the US believed that North Korea had sent about 10,000 troops to Russia, deploying them first to training bases in the far east before the vast majority were sent on to the Kursk region near the Ukraine border.

During a press conference Blinken said the North Korean troops had received Russian training in "artillery, UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, indicating that they fully intend to use these forces in frontline operations".