Zelensky- North Korean troops will enter the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield in the next few days_1
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently shared intelligence reports indicating that Russia plans to deploy North Korean troops to the battlefield starting on October 27-28. In a post on Telegram following a briefing with military leadership, Zelensky stated, “According to the intelligence, the first North Korean units will be utilized in the conflict zone on the 27th and 28th.”
Zelensky called on allied nations to exert “specific pressure” on Moscow and Pyongyang in response to this “escalation.”
On October 24, Ukraine reported that North Korean forces had arrived in the combat zone of Russia’s Kursk region, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia did not deny the reports of North Korean soldiers being dispatched to Russia.
In June, Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a mutual defense agreement, leading many to believe that North Korea had been providing arms and equipment to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the actual involvement of North Korean troops on the ground would represent a significant escalation in the conflict.
Furthermore, according to the Korean News Agency, South Korea had previously maintained a strict policy against providing lethal aid to Ukraine. However, President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 24th that if North Korea were to send special forces to assist Russia, South Korea would consider phased support for Ukraine, discussing and implementing measures deemed necessary for securing stability on the Korean Peninsula.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into its third year, the Ukrainian military’s offensive on August 6 into the Kursk region caught Moscow by surprise and significantly boosted Ukrainian morale.
