Soldiers sent by Pyongyang have moved into Russia’s Kursk region, an area along the Russia-Ukraine border where Ukrainian forces staged a surprise incursion in August, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
Kyiv says that roughly 12,000 North Korean troops are in Russia, a far greater number than reported by the US, though it remains unclear precisely how many have entered what Ukraine referred to as the “combat zone.” Ukraine, its Western allies, and South Korea have all expressed concerns that North Korean troops will begin fighting alongside Russian forces.
As Pyongyang and Moscow bolster ties, Seoul is worried Russia could reward North Korea – which has supplied ballistic missiles and ammunition rounds to Russia for its war in Ukraine – with advanced weapons and technology that could threaten South Korea’s national security. In response, the South Korean government has warned that it could provide Kyiv with arms.
Though Russia pushed back on previous reports of North Korean troops within its borders, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday didn’t deny their presence.
We’ll be watching to see if North Korean troops engage Ukrainian forces in the days ahead.
Ukrainian drones are hitting targets deep inside Russia, reaching areas where once residents believed the war was too distant to touch them. For the city of Yekaterinburg, which saw residential buildings damaged by drones, the attack carries symbolic weight. The city lies in Ural Mountains and served as a base for the Soviet Union during World War II because it was considered out of range from attacks coming from Europe.
In this Quick Take, Ian Bremmer unpacks a rapidly shifting US strategy toward Iran as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to disrupt global shipping and raise the risk of further escalation.
Will the US and Iran reach a nuclear deal before 2027? Will the Cuban regime fall this year? Will France win the World Cup? These questions are generating up to millions of dollars today on prediction markets — platforms where people wager on the outcomes of real-world events.
Will Japan rewrite its rules of war? Europe meets (again) to shape its own defense destiny, US to “guide” ships through Hormuz