President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy Photo: Johanna Geron/ Reuters
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the West to put “tangible pressure” on Moscow and Pyongyang following confirmed information about the possible participation of the North Korean military in hostilities on the side of Russia. Zelenskyy warned that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, on 27 and 28 October, Russian troops could bring the first units of the North Korean army into the combat zone.
“According to our information, in the coming days, Russia plans to use the North Korean military on the front line,” Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel, without going into details about their likely deployment.
Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported the day before that the first units of the North Korean army had already arrived in the Russian region of Kursk, where Ukrainian troops have made some progress since the August offensive. According to the GUR, about 12,000 North Korean soldiers, including 500 officers and three generals, have arrived in Russia. They are currently undergoing training at five Russian military bases.
Amid numerous warnings from Kyiv and South Korea about the possible presence of North Korean troops in Russia, the United States and NATO also confirmed this information on Wednesday. Washington noted that the goals and objectives of the North Korean troops remain unclear at this point, and that their participation in hostilities may be limited to the Kursk region.
At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech on Friday that “Russia has the right to decide whom to engage to ensure its own security,” especially given Ukraine’s aspirations for NATO membership.
