President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the South Korean TV channel KBS that Ukraine expects a combat clash with the North Korean military in the coming days.
Points of attention
- President Zelensky discusses the imminent combat clash with North Korean military in Ukraine, revealing Russia's plans to utilize North Korean soldiers in the battlefield.
- Russia aims to involve North Korean troops in the conflict to avoid domestic mobilization, which is unpopular among Russians, impacting Putin's rating.
- Ukraine emphasizes compliance with international norms and highlights the importance of prisoner exchange, showing readiness to swap North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian captives.
- NATO confirms the presence of North Korean troops in Russia, with reports of their training and preparation to engage in hostilities against Ukraine.
- Zelensky urges international partners to increase support for Ukraine amid revelations of North Korea's involvement in providing personnel and weapons to Russia.
The military of the DPRK will soon engage in combat with the AFU — Zelensky
According to Zelensky, Russia plans to use North Korean soldiers on the battlefield in Ukraine in the near future.
This is a matter of days, not months," the president noted.
The president also noted that he knows about 3,000 North Korean soldiers who are already in the training camp, and that this number will increase to 12,000.
Arrangements are also being made to send engineering troops and civilians who will work at the military plants of the Russian Federation.
Volodymyr Zelensky
President of Ukraine
Zelensky believes that Putin will try to achieve results on the battlefield by bringing in more North Korean soldiers rather than Russian ones, since the mobilization is unpopular in Russia itself.
This hits Putin's rating, because the majority of Russians do not support mobilization and do not want to fight. For Putin, North Korea is a way out of this situation, and for its leader, it is an opportunity to gain combat experience. I am sure that the leader of North Korea, like Putin, does not count on the lives of his soldiers.
The President also emphasized the need to comply with the norms of international law and prevent torture.
The most important thing for us is the exchange of prisoners. Therefore, we are ready to exchange North Korean soldiers for Ukrainians.
The North Korean military will fight for Russia against Ukraine
On October 28, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the presence of troops from North Korea on the territory of Russia, in particular in the Kursk region.
The spokesman of OTU "Siversk" Vadym Mysnyk reported that the Defense Forces had not yet had combat contact with the North Korean military and had not captured them in the Kursk direction.
On October 13, Zelensky said that North Korea supplies Russia not only with weapons, but also with personnel for the military forces, and called on partners to increase support for Ukraine. On October 17, the president clarified that Russia intends to involve about 10,000 soldiers from North Korea in the war against Ukraine.
On October 18, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, confirmed that about 11,000 North Korean infantrymen are currently undergoing training in eastern Russia. According to him, they will be ready to participate in hostilities against Ukraine from November 1.
The first military units from the DPRK, which underwent training at the eastern Russian training grounds, arrived in the combat zone on October 23. They were spotted in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.
