North Korean Deployment Sparks Fears of Escalation – Even ‘World War’ – in Ukraine

1 month ago 9

No other country has sent ground forces to fight in Ukraine. Experts fear others might follow.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (L) and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un (R) attend a welcoming ceremony, on June 19, 2024, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)

Posted: October 24th, 2024

By Elaine Shannon

Elaine Shannon, contributing editor at The Cipher Brief, is a former correspondent for Time and Newsweek. Her latest book is Hunting LeRoux (Harper Collins, 2019).

Tom Nagorski is the Managing Editor for The Cipher Brief. He previously served as Global Editor for Grid and served as ABC News Managing Editor for International Coverage as well as Senior Broadcast Producer for World News Tonight.

DEEP DIVE — North Korea’s deployment of thousands of troops to Russia – presumably for use in the war against Ukraine – has stunned policymakers and experts around the world. Even those who were already sounding the alarm over the North’s military aid to Moscow.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in Rome for a NATO defense ministers meeting, confirmed the bombshell Wednesday. “There is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia,” Austin said, using the acronym for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He called the deployment “very, very serious.”

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