North Korean troops in Ukraine ‘fair game’, US warns Russia as war rages on

United States defence secretary Lloyd Austin has waded in on reports that North Korea was preparing to enter the Ukraine war with troops.

“If they are co-belligerents, if their intention is to participate in this war on Russia’s behalf, that is a very, very serious issue,” Austin said.

Austin was returning from his fourth visit to Kyiv, where he announced a $400m package of US weapons for Ukraine.

John Kirby, White House national security spokesman, said Washington believes that at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers arrived this month by sea to Vladivostok, Russia’s largest Pacific port.

“These soldiers then travelled onward to multiple Russian military training sites in eastern Russia, where they are currently undergoing training,” Kirby said on Wednesday. “We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but this is certainly a highly concerning probability.”

He added that should they deploy to fight against Ukraine, “they’re fair game”.

North Korea also stands accused of exporting ballistic missiles and artillery shells that have already been found detonated on Ukrainian soil.

The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, told The War Zone, a US outlet, that 11,000 North Korean infantrymen were in training in eastern Russia and were to be deployed to Ukraine.

“They will be ready on November 1,” he said, adding that the first batch of 2,600 would be sent to fight a Ukrainian counter-invasion in Kursk.