Lukashenko dismisses North Korean troop reports, says it would 'escalate' Russia's war in Ukraine

The involvement of North Korean troops in Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine would be "a step towards escalation," Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview with the BBC published on Oct. 23.

Speaking on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Lukashenko dismissed reports that North Korea had sent its soldiers to aid Russia's war effort, describing them as "rubbish."

"Knowing his character (Russian President Vladimir) Putin would never try to persuade another country to involve its army in Russia’s special operation in Ukraine," he said.

"It would be a step towards the escalation of the conflict if the armed forces of any country, even Belarus, were on the contact line."

According to Lukashenko, the West could respond to such a move by deploying NATO troops in Ukraine.

"Even if we got involved in the war this would be a path to escalation. Why? Because you, the Anglo-Saxons, would immediately say that another country had got involved on one side... so Nato troops would be deployed to Ukraine."

While Belarus, an ally of Russia, hasn't directly participated in the war, it has allowed the Kremlin to use its territory as a staging ground for its operations against Ukraine.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), said that the first North Korean units were expected to arrive in Kursk Oblast on Oct. 23. Ukraine began a cross-border incursion in August and still holds significant swathes of territory there.

Earlier in October, Budanov said that the first group would consist of 2,600 soldiers.

Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin confirmed on Oct. 23 that North Korean soldiers are in Russia without elaborating on their numbers and tasks.

Two North Korean brigades of up to 6,000 personnel each are currently undergoing training in Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. According to military intelligence, some North Korean officers are already in the occupied territories of Ukraine, he said on Oct. 17.

North Korea has denied the reports, while a Kremlin spokesperson gave an evasive answer on the issue.

North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine for Russia would be ‘fair game,’ White House says

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also revealed details of U.S. intelligence assessments, saying Washington believes North Korea “moved at least 3000 soldiers into eastern Russia.”

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk