Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to indirectly acknowledge reports of North Korean troops in Russia when speaking to foreign journalists on Oct. 24. He referred to the mutual defense clause in Russia and North Korea’s newly signed security treaty.
Asked about satellite images provided by South Korean intelligence, allegedly showing North Korean soldiers heading to Russia, Putin replied, "images are a serious thing; if there are images, they reflect something," stopping short of confirming or denying the claims, which the United States has also raised.
Putin then pointed to the Russia-North Korea defense treaty, which Russia’s parliament ratified on Oct. 24: "As for our relations with the DPRK, the treaty was ratified today; it has Article 4. We have never doubted that North Korean leadership takes the agreement seriously."
Article 4 of the agreement specifies that if either nation faces an "armed invasion," the other is committed to providing "military and other assistance with all means in its possession." This provision establishes the closest military alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang since the Cold War.
Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in early August, allegedly seizing around 100 settlements and over 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles). Russia began a counteroffensive in the region in September, with reportedly minimal success.
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on Oct. 24 that the first North Korean soldiers had been deployed alongside Russian forces on the front line in Kursk Oblast. North Korea has sent around 12,000 troops, including 500 officers and three generals, with initial sightings reported on Oct. 23.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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