Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused North Korea of sending soldiers to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Sunday, October 13. He once again called on the international community to assist the country to avoid “a larger war.”
According to reports from Agence France-Presse, Zelenskyy stated in his routine address on Sunday evening, “We see more and more regimes aligning with Russia, such as North Korea. This is no longer just about delivering weapons. North Korea is actually sending people to join the occupiers (Russia).”
He emphasized the need for developing relationships with partners and stressed the necessity for more support at the frontlines, especially when it comes to providing long-range combat capabilities to the Ukrainian forces.
Zelenskyy highlighted, “This involves strengthening pressure on the aggressors, the force must exceed what Russia can withstand. This is about avoiding a larger conflict.”
Last week, Zelenskyy visited several European countries including Germany, UK, France, and Italy to seek more military and financial aid to confront Russia.
Apart from Ukraine, South Korean officials also believe that North Korea has deployed troops to support Russia.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korean Minister of Defense, Kim Long-hyun, stated in parliament on October 8 that due to the almost military alliance-like mutual aid agreement between North Korea and Russia, the possibility of North Korea dispatching regular troops to support Russia is highly likely.
Kim also mentioned that various signs indicate the validity of the claim that multiple North Korean soldiers were killed or injured in Ukraine.
The Kyiv Post previously cited intelligence sources that Ukrainian armed forces launched a missile attack on the Donetsk region occupied by Russia on October 3, resulting in the death of over twenty soldiers, including six North Korean military officers.
In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the claims of North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine as “fake news” on October 10.
Reports from Agence France-Presse revealed that according to German government sources, US President Biden is expected to visit Germany on October 18 to attend a meeting involving over fifty allies of Ukraine to discuss further support for Ukraine. Biden’s trip was delayed due to Hurricane Milton hitting Florida last week.
Russian forces have been advancing towards the western Donetsk region for months and are now nearing the important city of Pokrovsk. The city had a population of around 60,000 before the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukraine stated over the past weekend that the current situation is “extremely challenging.”