Thousands of North Korean soldiers are preparing to fight on behalf of Russia in Ukraine, while some North Korean officers are already deployed there, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today.
Western countries have long accused North Korea of sending weapons to Russia, and in recent days Zelensky said Pyongyang was sending military personnel in a major escalation of foreign aid to the invasion of Moscow.
“We have information from our intelligence services that some North Korean army officers are already in Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by Russian enemies. That’s how they joined the Russian army,” Zelensky said during a press conference in Brussels.
“About 10,000 are preparing to be sent to fight against us”
The Ukrainian president said he could not give the exact number of people already on Ukrainian soil.
“We know that about 10,000 North Korean soldiers are preparing to be sent to fight against us,” he said, describing that prospect. as “a first step towards a world war”.
Among them are included ground forces and “other technical personnel”Zelensky said.
Ukraine’s Western allies have not yet confirmed Kiev’s claim that Pyongyang is sending troops, although they say they are investigating. White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said Tuesday that if it turns out that any North Korean troops are involved in Ukraine, it would mark a major boost in defense ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Zelensky said Russia needs to fill the gap in recruitment and its own military personnel losses.
The losses
Ukraine and the West say hundreds of thousands of Russians have been killed or injured in fighting in Ukraine, while Ukraine’s military casualties, a closely guarded secret, are also high but lower. Moscow’s forces have advanced in recent months into eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine called on its allies to react decisively to North Korea’s aid to Russia, including by imposing new sanctions and further isolating Pyongyang.