Pentagon Says North Korean Troops Heading to Russia’s Embattled Kursk Region

Putin Supervises Russian Nuclear Forces’ Exercises Amid Escalating Global Tensions

October 30, 2024 TruthUSA

The Russian president monitored Russian land, sea, and air-based nuclear forces conducting missile launches on Oct. 28.

Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw a series of nuclear arms drills on Oct. 29, amidst increasing Western concerns of potential escalation in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The Kremlin announced that Putin observed the nuclear training drills on Tuesday, which included ballistic and cruise missile test launches.

The drills included tests of all three components of Russia’s nuclear triad. Russian land-based missile forces launched a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome in western Russia to the Kura test site in Russia’s eastern Kamchatka region.

The nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine Novomoskovsk launched ballistic missiles in the Barents Sea in the Arctic Circle, while the nuclear-powered submarine Knyaz Oleg conducted a launch from the Sea of Okhotsk off Russia’s Pacific Coastline.

Tu-95MS long-range bombers, representing the aerial component of Russia’s nuclear triad, also launched air-launched ballistic missiles during the drills on Tuesday.

These are the second set of nuclear drills held by Moscow in the past two weeks. The Tuesday drills followed an exercise on Oct. 18 in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, involving a unit equipped with Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking U.S. cities.

The threat of nuclear force has been present during the 2 1/2 years of fighting between Russia and Ukraine.

Speaking at a conference hosted by the Financial Times in September, CIA Director Bill Burns expressed concern that in the fall of 2022, Russian forces might use tactical nuclear weapons during the conflict in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the United States and other Western supporters to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons and permission to use them deep inside Russian territory. In response, Moscow hinted at lowering the threshold for deploying its nuclear weapons.

Last month, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated that Moscow has a “clear intent” to revise its nuclear posture due to increasing Western support to Ukraine against Russian invasion forces. Putin also suggested last month that Russia could use nuclear arms in response to a mass assault on Russia with various weapons.

Regarding the nuclear drills on Tuesday, Putin emphasized that nuclear force is an extreme measure for state security yet remains a reliable guarantor of Russian sovereignty and national security.

“Given the growing geopolitical tensions and new external threats and risks, it is crucial to have modern strategic forces that are always ready for combat use,” Putin stated on Tuesday.

He pledged that Russia would continue modernizing its nuclear forces.

The Oct. 18 and Oct. 29 nuclear drills occurred following reports that North Korea sent troops to Russia to fight alongside Russian forces against Ukraine.

On Oct. 28, the Pentagon stated that 10,000 North Korean troops were deployed to eastern Russia for training.

Deputy Pentagon spokesman Sabrine Singh mentioned that North Korean forces deploying in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war would escalate the conflict.

Singh confirmed that the United States would not prevent Ukrainian forces from using U.S.-supplied weapons against North Korean soldiers.

Additionally, NATO reported on the same day that North Korea had deployed troops to Russia for war assistance.

“Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops were sent to Russia, and North Korean military units were stationed in the Kursk region,” stated NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

Pyongyang denied early reports of North Korean troops in Russia, while Moscow has not directly confirmed the alleged North Korean troop deployment.

When asked about the allegation during an Oct. 24 press conference, Putin did not deny it. He referenced a mutual defense article in Russia’s partnership deal with North Korea and stated that activities within this framework are Russia’s business.

Reuters contributed to this article.

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