North Korean troops in Russia face integration issues – US State Department

The Russian military has trained North Korean soldiers to operate artillery, drones, and conduct infantry operations, but faces significant challenges, according to U.S. State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel.

The success of Russia's use of North Korean soldiers will depend on how well Moscow can integrate them.

"Some of the challenges they would need to overcome are interoperability, the language barrier, command and control, and communications," said Patel.

According to the department, over 10,000 North Korean soldiers are currently in eastern Russia, with the majority fighting in Kursk Oblast. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Europe to discuss, among other things, North Korea's involvement in the Russian war against Ukraine with allies.

Patel added that, under President Joe Biden's directive, the United States continues to increase security assistance to Ukraine.

On November 5, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the first combat encounters between Ukrainian forces and North Korean soldiers, describing them as "small-scale battles."

On November 7, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that North Korean soldiers had suffered their first losses in battles in Kursk Oblast.

On November 10, the New York Times reported that 50,000 Russian and North Korean soldiers are preparing for an offensive in Kursk Oblast.