During his evening address on Oct. 26, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that North Korean troops may appear fighting alongside Russian forces on the front line in the coming days.
"(Russia is) increasingly engaging North Korea as an ally, and any day now their soldiers may appear on the battlefield fighting against Ukraine," Zelensky said. "Ukraine will be forced to actually fight against North Korea in Europe."
Zelensky's comments come amid reports that the Biden administration believes that a contingent of North Korean troops is en route to Russia’s Kursk region to assist Moscow in countering a Ukrainian offensive launched there in August.
Zelensky said on Oct. 25, citing intelligence reports, that Russia is planning to send the first North Korean soldiers to a combat zone on Oct. 27-28.
These soldiers are reportedly receiving training at five military training grounds in Ekaterinoslavka, Knyaze-Volkonskoe, and Sergeevka, as well as in Ussuriysk and Ulan-Ude in eastern Russia.
Although U.S. officials have not confirmed South Korean reports that North Korean soldiers will engage in direct combat, they estimate the North Korean force could number in the thousands and may rapidly be assigned to combat roles, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Estimates on the number of North Korean troops sent to the Ukraine-Russia front line have varied. U.S. officials estimated around 3,000 North Korean troops were training in Russia, but National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby indicated that the overall count could now be higher.
South Korean intelligence has informed lawmakers that North Korean troop numbers in Russia could reach 10,000 by December, while Kyiv has said that Pyongyang has sent nearly 12,000 troops to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals.
Speaking during his evening address, Zelensky called on Western allies to commit to "stronger decisions in support of Ukraine," as the threat of the war's escalation continues to rise.
"The world is capable of stopping the war from unfolding. Abstractions and words are not enough for this – concrete steps are needed."
On Oct. 24, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said that the country could review its ban on supplying lethal arms to Ukraine in light of "North Korean military activities."
South Korean law prohibits the exporting of weapons to active conflict zones, but Seoul has repeatedly hinted that this could change in light of deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
Olena Goncharova
(Updated: )
