Kyiv says North Korean troops will deploy to fight as early as Sunday

Russia will deploy North Korean troops in combat zones against Ukraine for the first time on Sunday or Monday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fixed on Friday, citing intelligence information.

On October 25, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky provided him with information about Russia’s involvement of North Korean troops and their planned use in combat zones as early as this weekend.

Zelensky said this was a clear escalation by Russia, which he said is significant despite all the denials and misinformation that circulated during the so-called BRICS summit in Kazan in recent days.

He stated that the world must understand Russia’s true intentions: the continuation of the war, which must be met with a decisive and strong reaction from world leaders.

He stressed that North Korea’s actual participation in combat operations should not be met with indifference or confusion but rather with the application of clear pressure on Moscow and Pyongyang to respect the UN Charter and punish them for escalating the conflict. .

As previously reported by the Kyiv Post on Thursday, October 24, at a press conference after the BRICOS At the summit in Kazan, Russian President Vladimir Putin commented for the first time on the possible involvement of North Korean troops in his war against Ukraine after being questioned about reports that his soldiers had been seen on Russian territory, probably in preparation for participate in the conflict.

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Putin said: “Satellite images are a serious matter and, if they exist, they must show something.” He then again denied that Russia was responsible for the escalation of the war, accusing the West of supporting Ukraine and helping it wage the war.

“But I want to draw your attention to the fact that it was not Russia’s actions that led to the escalation in Ukraine, but the 2014 coup, supported mainly by the United States,” Putin said.

According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (HUR), the first units of North Korean soldiers arrived in the Russian Kursk region, near the combat zone, on October 23. HUR estimated the number of North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia to be around 12,000, including 500 officers, including three generals.

Although North Korean troops could soon reinforce Russian forces in Kursk, analysts doubt the importance of its impact as Moscow faces labor shortages and high casualties.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said these soldiers are receiving training at Russian military bases, where they have been handed over. Russian uniforms and fake documents. identifying them as Buryats and Yakuts, two of Russia’s Asian ethnic minorities in Siberia.

North Korea is intervening as Russia faces heavy losses by providing it with personnel along with weapons and equipment. kyiv Post sources in HUR saying.

He said the North Koreans will be part of a “Buryat Special Battalion,” organized within the 11th separate airborne assault brigade of the Russian Armed Forces. The battalion is expected to include up to 3,000 North Korean soldiers, is currently receiving small arms and ammunition and is likely to deploy to the Kursk region, near Sudzha and the city of kursknear the border with Ukraine.

In exchange for the troops, Russia would provide Pyongyang with financial assistance and modern technology to help the country develop its nuclear program and expand its nuclear arsenal, according to HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov.

Ukraine “I want to live”(Хочу жить), a hotline delivery operated by HUR, has called North Korea Soldiers sent to fight Ukraine surrendered and avoided participating in combat operations.

Ukraine and South Korea claimed in mid-October that Pyongyang had deployed troops to assist Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine, likely as a result of the June 18 attack. mutual defense pact.

This is a developing story. Read more about the deployment of North Korean troops in Ukraine here.