Nearly 11,000 North Korean troops training in Russia to fight in Ukraine, says spymaster Budanov

Nearly 11,000 North Korean infantry soldiers are currently training in eastern Russia to fight against Ukraine, according to a statement by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, in an interview with The War Zone.

"They will be ready [to fight in Ukraine] on November 1," Budanov said.

According to the intelligence chief, the North Korean troops will use Russian equipment and ammunition. The first contingent of 2,600 soldiers will be sent to Kursk Oblast.

The destination of the remaining North Korean military personnel is unclear, Budanov noted.

"We don’t have the full picture right now,," he added.

On Tuesday, a source in military intelligence told LIGA.net that a "special Buryat battalion" staffed with North Korean citizens is being formed using the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the Russian army.

Later, it was reported that 18 North Korean soldiers had already deserted from their positions on the Russo-Ukrainian border in the Bryansk and Kursk oblasts of Russia.

On Wednesday, White House representative John Kirby said that the United States cannot yet definitively confirm or deny the information about North Korean soldiers in the Russian army.