North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to fight in Ukraine, Pentagon says

BRUSSELS (AP) — North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and fight in Ukraine within “the next several weeks,” the Pentagon said Monday, in a move that Western leaders say will intensify the almost three-year war and jolt relations in the Indo-Pacific region.

Some of the North Korean soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said, and were believed to be heading for the Kursk border region, where Russia has been struggling to push back a Ukrainian incursion.

Earlier Monday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte NATO confirmed recent Ukrainian intelligence reports that some North Korean military units were already in the Kursk region.

Adding thousands of North Korean soldiers to Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II will pile more pressure on Ukraine’s weary and overstretched army. It will also stoke geopolitical tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the wider Indo-Pacific region, including Japan and Australia, Western officials say.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is keen to reshape global power dynamics. He sought to build a counterbalance to Western influence with a summit of BRICS countries, including the leaders of China and India, in Russia last week. He has sought direct help for the war from Iran, which has supplied drones, and North Korea, which has shipped large amounts of ammunition, according to Western governments.

Rutte told reporters in Brussels that the North Korean deployment represents “a significant escalation” in Pyongyang's involvement in the conflict and “a dangerous expansion of Russia’s war.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with their South Korean counterparts later this week in Washington.

Singh said Austin and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun will discuss the deployment of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine. There will be no limitations on the use of U.S.-provided weapons on those forces, Singh said.

“If we see DPRK troops moving in towards the front lines, they are co-belligerents in the war,” Singh said, using the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea. “This is a calculation that North Korea has to make.”

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov shrugged off Rutte’s comments and noted that Pyongyang and Moscow signed a joint security pact last June. He stopped short of confirming North Korean soldiers were in Russia.

Lavrov claimed that Western military instructors long have been covertly deployed to Ukraine to help its military use long-range weapons provided by Western partners.

Ukraine, whose defenses are under severe Russian pressure in its eastern Donetsk region, could get more bleak news from next week’s U.S. presidential election. A Donald Trump victory could see key U.S. military help dwindle.

In Moscow, the Defense Ministry announced Monday that Russian troops have captured the Donetsk village of Tsukuryne — the latest settlement to succumb to the slow-moving Russian onslaught.

Rutte spoke in Brussels after a high-level South Korean delegation, including top intelligence and military officials as well as senior diplomats, briefed the alliance’s 32 national ambassadors at NATO headquarters.

Rutte said NATO is “actively consulting within the alliance, with Ukraine, and with our Indo-Pacific partners,” on developments. He said he was due to talk soon with South Korea’s president and Ukraine’s defense minister.

“We continue to monitor the situation closely,” he said. He did not take questions after the statement.

The South Koreans showed no evidence of North Korean troops in Kursk, according to European officials who were present for the 90-minute exchange and spoke to The Associated Press about the security briefing on condition of anonymity.

It’s unclear how or when NATO allies might respond to the North Korean involvement. They could, for example, lift restrictions that prevent Ukraine from using Western-supplied weapons for long-range strikes on Russian soil.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, citing intelligence reports, claimed last Friday that North Korean troops would be on the battlefield within days.

He previously said his government had information that some 10,000 troops from North Korea were being readied to join Russian forces fighting against his country.

Days before Zelenskyy spoke, American and South Korean officials said there was evidence North Korea had dispatched troops to Russia.

Copp reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

A view of flags of NATO member countries, outside NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

FILE - NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speak to journalists during a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte delivers a statement, after a meeting with a high level South Korean delegation including top intelligence and military officials as well as senior diplomats briefed NATO diplomats, at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte delivers a statement, after a meeting with a high level South Korean delegation including top intelligence and military officials as well as senior diplomats briefed NATO diplomats, at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte delivers a statement, after a meeting with a high level South Korean delegation including top intelligence and military officials as well as senior diplomats briefed NATO diplomats, at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte delivers a statement, after a meeting with a high level South Korean delegation including top intelligence and military officials as well as senior diplomats briefed NATO diplomats, at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un smile during their meeting at the Pyongyang Sunan International Airport outside Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte delivers a statement, after a meeting with a high level South Korean delegation including top intelligence and military officials as well as senior diplomats briefed NATO diplomats, at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia’s president on Monday urged the West to support opposition protests after the governing party was declared the winner of a parliamentary election that she alleged was rigged with the help of Russia.

“You did not lose the election," President Salome Zourabichvili told thousands of pro-Europe demonstrators who massed outside a floodlit parliament building Monday night. "They stole your vote and tried to steal your future, but no one has the right to do that and you will not let anyone do that!”

Zourabichvili told the flag-waving protesters that she would defend the South Caucasus nation's path toward Europe against the governing Georgian Dream party.

“We have no alternative and nothing else we want to leave this country for the next generations,” she said.

Protester Natia Chachava, wrapped in the Georgian flag, said the demonstrators “don’t want Russia, we don’t want to back to Russia or back to the Soviet Union.”

Zourabichvili, who refused to recognize the official results, earlier told The Associated Press that Georgia has fallen victim to Russian pressure against joining the EU.

“We’ve seen that Russian propaganda was directly used,” said Zourabichvili, a fierce critic of Georgian Dream. She said the government has been “working hand-in-hand with Russia,” and “probably” received help from Moscow's security services.

The U.S. and the European Union urged full investigations of the result of Saturday's election.

“Georgians, like all Europeans, must be masters of their own destiny,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The Central Election Commission said the Georgian Dream party received 54.8% of the vote with almost all ballots counted. The party — established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia — has become increasingly authoritarian in the past year, adopting laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights.

Protest is the only way Georgians can “express that their votes have been stolen, that their future has been stolen,” Zourabichvili told AP in an interview.

She said she hopes the U.S. and EU back the demonstrations.

“We need to have the firm support of our European partners, of our American partners,” Zourabichvili said, adding that it was in the interests of “a powerful Europe” to be present in the Caucasus and for the region to be stable.

Asked if she wants sanctions imposed on Georgian officials, Zourabichvili told AP that it's up to Western leaders but that “certainly time has not come to to renew relations with authorities that are not legitimate at this point.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Georgia’s political leaders to “respect the rule of law, repeal legislation that undermines fundamental freedoms, address deficiencies in the electoral process, and move Georgia toward its Euro-Atlantic future.”

He called for a full investigation of all reports of election-related violations, as did EU Commission spokeswoman Nabila Massrali, who said Georgian Dream’s campaign was “directly inspired” by Russian propaganda and there were “unprecedented levels of disinformation.”

The Kremlin has rejected the accusations of interference.

“We aren’t meddling in Georgia’s internal affairs, and we have no intention of meddling,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He countered that it was the West that had tried to influence the vote.

Asked about Zourabichvili’s call for the Georgians to join protests, he described it as an attempt to destabilize the country.

Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili, a member of Georgian Dream, accused the president of creating “a coup scenario” that goes “against the constitutional order and democratic elections.”

In Georgia's political system, the presidency is a largely ceremonial post.

The EU suspended Georgia’s membership application process indefinitely because of a Russian-style “foreign influence law” passed in June. Many Georgians viewed Saturday’s vote as a pivotal referendum on the opportunity to join the EU.

The election campaign in the nation of 3.7 million people, which borders Russia, was marked by a bitter fight for votes and allegations of a smear campaign. European observers said the election took place in a “divisive” environment marked by intimidation and instances of vote-buying, double voting and physical violence.

During the campaign, Georgian Dream used “anti-Western and hostile rhetoric ... promoted Russian misinformation, manipulations, and conspiracy theories,” said Antonio López-Istúriz White, head of the European Parliament monitoring delegation.

Election observers said instances of intimidation and other violations were particularly noticeable in rural areas.

Georgian Dream scored its highest share of the vote — almost 90% — in the Javakheti region of southern Georgia. In the capital it received no more than 44% in any district.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, a member of Georgian Dream, described his party’s success as “impressive and obvious,” and that “any attempts to talk about election manipulation ... are doomed to failure.”

Initial figures suggested voter turnout was among the highest since Georgian Dream first won control of parliament in 2012. The party has vowed to continue pushing toward EU accession but also wants to “reset” ties with Georgia’s former imperial master, Russia. In 2008, Georgia fought and lost a brief war with Russia, which then recognized the independence of two breakaway Georgian regions and bolstered its military presence there.

European Council President Charles Michel urged Georgian officials to “swiftly, transparently and independently investigate” the electoral irregularities and said Georgian Dream should demonstrate its “firm commitment” to the EU.

Hungary’s Victor Orbán, who was the first foreign leader to congratulate Georgian Dream, arrived Monday on a two-day visit to Georgia.

Zourabichvili said he was a “special friend” of Georgian Dream and dismissed his visit as a “political play.”

Orban does not have “any mandate from the EU Council” to visit Georgia, Massrali said on behalf of the EU.

Associated Press journalists Sophiko Megrelidze in Tbilisi and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed.

Eoghan Murphy, head of OSCE/ODIHIR observer mission, speaks to the media after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Pawel Herczynski, EU Ambassador to Georgia, center, and Meline Arakelian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Georgia attend an OSCE/ODIHIR observer mission joint news conference after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Elene Khoshtaria, the leader of the Strong Georgia Coalition, speaks to the media at the coalition's headquarters after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, early Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Elene Khoshtaria, the leader of the Strong Georgia Coalition, holds a ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Nika Gvaramia, leader of Coalition for Changes, center, speaks to the media as Elene Khoshtaria, the leader of the Strong Georgia Coalition, left, and Nana Malashkhia, who leads the Coalition for Change parliament list, right, stand near at coalition's headquarters after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, early Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Elene Khoshtaria, the leader of the Strong Georgia Coalition, center, speaks to the media, accompanied by Zurab Japaridze, chairman of the Girchi More Freedom party, left; Nika Melia, a leader of Coalition for Changes, second left, Nika Gvaramia, leader of Coalition for Changes, second right, and Nana Malashkhia, who leads the Coalition for Change parliament list, right, at the coalition's headquarters after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, early Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

An election commission member, right, helps Elene Khoshtaria, the leader of the Strong Georgia Coalition, cast her ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Nika Gvaramia, leader of the Coalition for Changes, center, speaks to the media as Elene Khoshtaria, the leader of the Strong Georgia Coalition, left, and Nana Malashkhia, who leads the Coalition for Change parliament list, right, stand near at coalition's headquarters after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

In this photo released by Administration of the President of Georgia, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili speaks during her interview with the Associated Press after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (Administration of the President of Georgia via AP)

In this photo released by Administration of the President of Georgia, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili speaks during her interview with the Associated Press after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (Administration of the President of Georgia via AP)

A supporter of the Coalition for Change reacts at coalition's headquarters after polls closing at the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Members of an election commission count ballots at a polling station after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kostya Manenkov)

FILE - Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the created by him the Georgian Dream party greets demonstrators during a rally in Tbilisi, Georgia, on April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov, File)

In this photo taken from video released by Georgian Dream Party on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addresses after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia. (Georgian Dream Party via AP)

Nana Malashkhia, who leads the Coalition for Change parliament list, center, speaks to the media at coalition's headquarters after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Nika Gvaramia, leader of Coalition for Changes, center, speaks to the media at coalition's headquarters after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

In this photo taken from video, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, center, surrounded by opposition leaders speaks to the media after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Kostya Manenkov)

In this photo taken from video, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, left, speaks to the media as speaks to the media as and Nana Malashkhia, who leads the Coalition for Change parliament list, right, stands near, after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Kostya Manenkov)