10,000 North Korean troops join Russia near Ukraine border

Russia has amassed a force of 50,000 troops, including 10,000 North Korean soldiers, near the Kursk region in preparation for a new assault to retake Ukrainian-held territory, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials. This escalation comes as North Korean forces, training with Russian troops, are expected to join in direct combat in what could mark a significant turning point in the two-year conflict.

A recent U.S. intelligence assessment suggests Moscow has bolstered its forces in Kursk without reducing its eastern Ukraine presence, allowing it to pressure Ukraine on multiple fronts simultaneously. The North Korean soldiers, drawn from elite units and equipped with Russian weapons, are divided into assault and support units and are expected to fight in their own discrete groups.

According to Ukrainian officials, Russia has provided the North Korean forces with machine guns, sniper rifles, anti-tank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. Training for the North Koreans has reportedly included artillery fire, basic infantry tactics and trench clearing in preparation for frontal assaults on entrenched Ukrainian positions.

This new offensive looms as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office with a stated priority of ending the war quickly. While Trump has not specified his approach, Vice President-elect JD Vance has suggested a plan that would allow Russia to retain territory it has captured in Ukraine.

U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, indicate that North Korea may have agreed to send its troops in exchange for missile technology and diplomatic support from Russia. The North Korean forces, known for cohesion and discipline, are expected to bolster Russia’s capability in Kursk, though the nation’s lack of combat experience raises questions about their battlefield effectiveness.

In the past 24 hours, Ukraine reported Russia’s deadliest day of the war, with 1,770 Russian soldiers killed or wounded. British defense officials noted that Russian forces sustained an average of 1,500 casualties per day in October 2024, resulting in Moscow’s highest monthly losses since the war began.