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Concerns about North Korea joining Russia’s invasion of Ukraine intensified Saturday, with Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov warning that 11,000 North Korean troops in Russia are “ready to fight.”
He said 2,600 soldiers are set to be deployed by Nov. 1 to Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine has made significant territorial gains since August, according to Budanov statement to The War Zone.
A video released by Ukrainian officials on Saturday allegedly shows dozens of North Korean soldiers receiving bags, clothes, and other gear from Russian servicemen.
“We received this video from our own sources. We cannot provide additional verification from the sources who provided it to us due to security concerns,” said Ihor Solovey, head of Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. “The video clearly shows North Korean citizens being given Russian uniforms under the direction of the Russian military … For Ukraine, this video is important because it is the first video evidence that shows North Korea participating in the war on the side of Russia. Now not only with weapons and shells but also with personnel.”
There is an estimate that about 10,000 North Korean soldiers joined the Russians in the war against Ukraine
This’s the essence of the axis of evil.
Russia and China provide backing in the Security Council, Iran and North Korea provide troops and Qatar provides the money. pic.twitter.com/2jNXGVOR7s
— אלון (@alonwgh) October 18, 2024
The involvement of North Korean troops represents a “huge” escalation in the conflict, according to France and Ukraine’s foreign ministers at a joint press conference in Kyiv. France’s Jean-Noel Barrot warned it would push the war into a new, more dangerous phase, indicating Moscow’s struggles.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha added: “This is a huge threat of further escalation of Russian aggression against Ukraine. There is a big risk of it growing out of its current scale and borders.”
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