Russian ally North Korea deployed 12,000 soldiers, including a special forces unit, to fight in the war against Ukraine, according to South Korean intelligence, as reported by Reuters.
Ukrainian intelligence and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have confirmed this information.
The troops are expected to be ready for combat by Nov. 1, utilizing Russian equipment and ammunition. The first unit, comprising 2,600 soldiers, will be dispatched to the Kursk region of Russia, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, said.
In response to this situation, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol convened an emergency security meeting to discuss the potential involvement of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“The participants… shared the view that the current situation where Russia and North Korea’s closer ties have gone beyond the movement of military supplies to actual dispatch of troops is a grave security threat not only to our country but to the international community,” Yoon’s office said.
Reports indicate that 1,500 North Korean military personnel have already been transported to Vladivostok aboard four landing ships and three escort vessels, with the second phase of troop transfer expected to occur soon, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
The movement of DPRK troops into Russia has been documented by satellite imagery, which was released by South Korea.
The satellite image, provided by South Korean intelligence on October 18, shows a Russian military vessel suspected of transporting North Korean troops from the northeastern port of Chongjin. Credit: Yonhap)
The North Korean-Russian alliance in the Russo-Ukrainian war reflects a “level of desperation” within the Kremlin, according to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as reported by European Pravda.
“If this is true, then to me, it looks more like an act of desperation than anything else,” he said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said two days before his unannounced Oct. 21 visit has stated that he cannot confirm reports regarding North Korea’s deployment of troops to Russia for participation in the war against Ukraine.
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