North Korean Troops in Russia. What's Next ?
U.S. officials say there is evidence that as many as three thousand North Korean troops are now training at military bases inside of Russia for possible deployment in Moscow's two and a half year war against Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin calls the situation "very, very serious" as NATO and European leaders consider a response. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service puts the number even higher, estimating that North Korea is planning to send as many as 12,000 soldiers to aid Moscow in it's war against Ukraine. This week, The Cipher Brief's Chief International Correspondent Ia Muermishvili is talking with former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk about what this means for Ukraine. And later in the show, we're talking with former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Doug Lute about the impact that this war has had on Russia - and why the time to take advantage of Russia's vulnerabilities is now - even in the face of an upcoming U.S. election and a new U.S. president in January.