CNN —As many as 8,000 North Korean troops are in Russia’s Kursk region and are expected to enter combat against Ukraine in the coming days, top US officials announced Thursday. The US will announce additional military support to Ukraine “in the coming days,” Blinken said. Ukrainian forces have held territory in Kursk since launching a surprise incursion into the Russian border region in August. The US defense secretary noted Thursday that the number of North Korean troops sent to Kursk “pales in comparison” to the number of casualties Russia sees regularly. “I’m surprised by China’s silence” on North Korea’s support for Russia, Zelensky said in an interview with South Korea’s KBS.

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Persons: Antony Blinken, Defense Lloyd Austin, Blinken, ” Austin, ” Blinken, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, Austin, Austin redoubled, ” “ We’ve, “ I’m, Zelensky, ” Organizations: CNN, Ukraine, Defense, South Korean, Korean, Ukraine “, North, Russia, South Korea’s KBS Locations: Russia’s Kursk, Washington, Kursk, Russia, Moscow, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Russian, South Korea, Blinken, China, North Korea, Beijing