North Korea has sent troops to Russia, the United States said Wednesday, its first public confirmation of a move that has rattled Western allies and could mark a major escalation of Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

“There is evidence of DPRK troops in Russia,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters in Rome, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“What exactly they’re doing is left to be seen,” Austin said, adding, “We’re trying to gain better fidelity on it.” It’s a “serious issue,” he said, if North Korea’s “intention is to participate in this war on Russia’s behalf.”

His comments came after South Korea and Ukraine sounded the alarm in recent days, sharing intelligence and voicing dissatisfaction with what they see as a lack of urgency in the response from the U.S. and other Western countries.

  • @irmoz
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    232 minutes ago

    I wonder how the tankies will try to spin this. Putin is as far from communist as a person can get. Surely the tankies won’t continue to claim that NK is even remotely socialist.

  • @[email protected]
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    495 hours ago

    Remember, if “the west” so much as sends letters of warm regard, let alone troops, to Ukraine, Russia will feel like that’s justification for starting WW III. They can naturally do whatever they want, because Russia.

    • Flying SquidM
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      75 hours ago

      Maybe, but there is very little chance of Putin launching nukes. Firstly because they likely haven’t been serviced and many probably won’t work, secondly because dictators tend to want legacies and Putin has children and grandchildren.

      • @Valmond
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        24 hours ago

        He don’t care about his children or grandchildren, but what he do care about is his own life, so he won’t be launching any nukes.

        • Flying SquidM
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          24 hours ago

          What makes you think he doesn’t care about his legacy?

          • @Valmond
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            44 hours ago

            Hmm fair point, IIRC he does have some son in politics quite high up.

            • Flying SquidM
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              14 hours ago

              Really, you don’t have to love your son to want him to replace you. It’s more about being You 2.0 than being someone you love. I doubt either of the successive Kims got much love from their fathers.

    • @[email protected]
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      3 hours ago

      Huh? “the west” has been sending tons of weapons, ammo, & equipment to help Ukraine the whole time. I think that counts as sending more than just “letters of warm regard”

      • @[email protected]
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        11 hour ago

        And the whole time Russia has been saying it’s a dangerous escalation, and that sending weapons to Ukraine is tantamount to participating in the war.

      • @Tyfud
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        133 hours ago

        That’s because that’s what’s allowable by international standards and agreements. We’re “selling” it to those countries as a part of our trade and military agreements.

        Sending troops, where feet touch the ground on foreign soil during wartime? That’s a whole different ballgame. That’s how World Wars get started.

  • FlashMobOfOne
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    1 hour ago

    Is this something for which there’s actual evidence, or is it another Iraq WMD situation, where we’re kind of just expected to take all of the assertions as gospel?

    It’s not as if they won’t lie to us in order to manufacture buy-in from the public in order to send US troops.

    • @fluxion
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      332 minutes ago

      And has anyone considered that it’s not North Koreans fighting in Ukraine, but extraterrestrials disguised as North Koreans?

      • @AnUnusualRelic
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        120 minutes ago

        It could simply be hamsters in korean uniforms…

        • @fluxion
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          118 minutes ago

          You raise a fair point. i hadn’t considered that.

  • @foggy
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    75 hours ago

    Let’s confirm it again next week, too.