
North Korea to send about 30,000 troops to Russia
ALBAWABA - An intelligence assessment from Ukrainian officials detailed that North Korea is planning to triple the number of its troops fighting alongside Russia against Ukraine. Also Read Extra 3,000 North Korean soldiers sent to Russia in 2025
The intelligence assessment reported that North Korea is set to send an extra 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers to help Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The troops may arrive in Russia in the coming months, CNN reported after viewing the report.
North Korea could send up to 30,000 additional troops to Russia over the coming months to aid Moscow in its war against Ukraine, media reports citing intelligence officials and security sources have said. | 📸: KCNA / via Reuters https://t.co/85lgj199F4 pic.twitter.com/VvFpuPiRCi — The Japan Times (@japantimes) July 3, 2025
At least 11,000 were sent to Russia last November and helped repel Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region. About 4,000 of them were killed or injured in the deployment, according to Western officials.
The Ukrainian assessment reads that the Russian Ministry of Defense is capable of providing "needed equipment, weapons and ammunition" with the aim of "further integration to Russian combat units."
© 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Al Bawaba
7 hours ago
- Al Bawaba
US Envoy Steve Witkoff to visit Russia today
Published August 3rd, 2025 - 06:44 GMT ALBAWABA - US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will visit the Russian capital, Moscow, today, Aug. 3, US Permanent Representative to NATO Matt Whitaker confirmed. "I know Steve Witkoff, who's a special envoy for President Trump, is in Moscow this weekend, and I'm hoping he can have a breakthrough," Whitaker told NBC News. He further mentioned that his country wants "both sides to agree to a deal" and mentioned that the US Envoy's visit to Russia "is maybe going to bear some fruit." Aside from the Russia-Ukraine war, Witkoff also stopped by Israel and the Gaza Strip on August 1 amid the deteriorating situation and spreading famine in the enclave under Israel's offensive and aid blockade. Witkoff met with Mike Huckabee, the US Ambassador to Israel, and discussed the aid distribution efforts and "secure a plan to deliver more food" to Gaza. They also visited an aid distribution site in Rafah run by the US-led Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (


Jordan Times
a day ago
- Jordan Times
Trump deploys nuclear submarines in row with Russia
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines Friday in an extraordinary escalation of what had been an online war of words with a Russian official over Ukraine and tariffs. Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's security council, have been sparring on social media for days. Trump's post on his Truth Social platform abruptly took that spat into the very real, and rarely publicised , sphere of nuclear forces. "Based on the highly provocative statements," Trump said he had "ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that." "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances," the 79-year-old Republican posted. Trump did not say in his post whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the exact deployment locations, which are kept secret by the US military. But in an interview with Newsmax that aired Friday night, Trump said the submarines were "closer to Russia." "We always want to be ready. And so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines," he said. "I just want to make sure that his words are only words and nothing more than that." Trump's remarks came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had started mass producing its hypersonic nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile, and could deploy them to Belarus, a close Russian ally neighbouring Ukraine, by year-end. The nuclear sabre-rattling came against the backdrop of a deadline set by Trump for the end of next week for Russia to take steps to ending the Ukraine war or face unspecified new sanctions. Despite the pressure from Washington, Russia's onslaught against its pro-Western neighbor continues to unfold at full bore. An AFP analysis Friday showed that Russian forces had launched a record number of drones at Ukraine in July. Russian attacks have killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians since June. A combined missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Thursday killed 31 people, rescuers said. Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly three-and-a-half year invasion were "unchanged". Those demands include that Ukraine abandon territory and end ambitions to join NATO. Putin, speaking alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, said Belarusian and Russian specialists "have chosen a place for future positions" of the Oreshnik missiles. "Work is now underway to prepare these positions. So, most likely, we will close this issue by the end of the year," he added. Insults, nuclear rhetoric The United States and Russia control the vast majority of the world's nuclear weaponry, and Washington keeps nuclear-armed submarines on permanent patrol as part of its so-called nuclear triad of land, sea and air-launched weapons. Trump told Newsmax that Medvedev's "nuclear" reference prompted him to reposition US nuclear submarines. "When you mention the word 'nuclear'... my eyes light up. And I say, we better be careful, because it's the ultimate threat," Trump said in the interview. Medvedev had criticised Trump on his Telegram account Thursday and alluded to the "fabled 'Dead Hand'", a reference to a highly secret automated system put in place during the Cold War to control the country's nuclear weapons. This came after Trump had lashed out at what he called the "dead economies" of Russia and India. Medvedev had also harshly criticised Trump's threat of new sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. Accusing Trump of "playing the ultimatum game," he posted Monday on X that Trump "should remember" that Russia is a formidable force. Trump responded by calling Medvedev "the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President." Medvedev should "watch his words," Trump posted at midnight in Washington on Wednesday. "He's entering very dangerous territory!" Medvedev is a vocal proponent of Russia's war, and generally antagonistic to relations with the West. He served as president between 2008-2012, effectively acting as a placeholder for Putin, who was able to circumvent constitutional term limits and remain in de facto power. The one-time reformer has rebranded over the years as an avid online troller, touting often extreme versions of official Kremlin nationalist messaging. But his influence within the Russian political system remains limited. In Kyiv on Friday, residents held a day of mourning for the 31 people, including five children, killed the day before, most of whom were in a nine-storey apartment block torn open by a missile. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said only Putin could end the war and renewed his call for a meeting between the two leaders. "The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia's readiness," he wrote on X.


Al Bawaba
2 days ago
- Al Bawaba
"Remember the Nukes:" Ex-Russian fires a chilling warning at Trump
ALBAWABA - An angry public exchange between former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Donald Trump has made things worse between Washington and Moscow, bringing up Cold War-era language. Also Read Japan reports 1.3-metre tsunami triggered by Russia earthquake Since taking office again in early 2025, Trump has been very friendly with Russia and President Vladimir Putin. This has surprised Trump's Western friends, who thought he would be tougher on the war in Ukraine. In the past few weeks, that changed when Trump said he was "greatly disappointed" that Russia was still attacking human targets and said he didn't want to talk to Putin. Trump gave Russia a deadline in the middle of July: stop military activities in Ukraine within 50 days or face harsh economic penalties, such as oil and goods being taxed at 100%. After two weeks, he shortened the limit to 10 days because he had not heard back from Moscow, which he described as "shameful." Medvedev, who is now Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, gave Russia's response. He said that Trump's demand was a dangerous way to start a fight. He wrote on X, "Russia is not Israel, nor even Iran." He was referring to the short conflict between the U.S. and Iran last month, which was linked to Israel's war. Medvedev said that Trump's threats were making things more likely to go to war, but not with Ukraine, but with Russia. Trump's Strike Back Medvedev was called a "failed former president" by Trump on Truth Social on Thursday, and Trump told him to "watch his words" or risk going into "a very dangerous zone." A few hours later, Medvedev replied with snark, saying that Trump's response showed that Russia was going in the right direction. He warned Trump that Moscow still has nuclear weapons from the time of the Soviet Union as a last option. Putting nuclear submarines to work By Friday, the argument had turned into military drills. Trump said that he had ordered two nuclear subs to be sent close to Russia as a safety measure in case Medvedev's "foolish and provocative" comments were more than just words. It's back: "Dead Hand" Medvedev escalated the situation by activating Russia's "Dead Hand" system, a nuclear response system from the Cold War that could fire missiles even if the country's leadership and command structure were destroyed. The system was part of Moscow's response to President Ronald Reagan's 1983 announcement of the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as "Star Wars." SDI was never fully effective, but the Soviet plan was to make sure that its nuclear weapons could be used to defend itself and in response to attacks. More dangers There are fears of a return to Cold War-style bluffing after the argument between Trump and Medvedev, in which both sides made public threats and brought up nuclear issues. It's still not clear whether this standoff will end or get worse, but experts say that tying nuclear threats to political disagreements over Ukraine could make ties between the US and Russia the most dangerous they've been in decades.