Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a speech Tuesday night that Ukraine has engaged in military engagement for the first time with North Korean troops sent to support Russia in its war with its neighbor.
President Zelenskiy did not elaborate on the engagement, but warned of Russian intentions to escalate the nearly 1,000-day war.
Kiev officials said Ukrainian troops fired on North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk border region.
President Zelenskiy warns that alliance between North Korea and Russia could cause problems in Asia: China’s ‘silence is impressive’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (left) and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un (Thierry Monas/Getty Images, left | Korean Central News Agency, right)
“Unfortunately, terrorism can spread like a virus if adequate countermeasures are not taken. Now our counterattack must be sufficient and powerful. “The fighting has opened a new chapter of global instability,” President Zelenskiy said. In a nightly video address, he thanked Ukraine’s allies around the world.
“Together with the world, we must do everything possible to ensure that Russia’s efforts to seriously escalate the war do not end in failure, both for Russia and for North Korea.”
South Korea’s Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that more than 10,000 North Korean troops had arrived in Russia, with “significant numbers” arriving in frontline areas including the Kursk region, which was invaded by Ukrainian forces in August.
According to Reuters, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told South Korean state television that there had been “small engagements” with North Korean troops. The report, which includes excerpts from interviews, quoted Umerov as saying that the fighting was small-scale and not yet systematic in terms of mobilization of soldiers.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during artillery training on March 7, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Agency, Associated Press)
Umerov reportedly said he expected five North Korean units of about 3,000 soldiers each to be deployed to the Kursk region. According to the Associated Press, Umerov said North Korean soldiers were mixed with Russian soldiers and their military uniforms were being misidentified.
Documents reveal Russia’s first ‘peace deal’ equivalent to Ukraine’s surrender: report
Russia has a reported 1.3 million active-duty soldiers, with an additional 2 million in reserve. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that Russian casualties were the highest since the war began, with about 1,200 casualties being reported per day. Despite heavy casualties, there was no end in sight to the war, confirming initial fears that it would become a war of attrition.
President Zelensky has warned that the recent deployment of North Korean troops to Russia not only poses problems for Ukraine, but also calls into question the stability and security of Western allies in Asia.
“North Korea’s actions are not a coincidence,” President Zelensky said in an interview with South Korean public broadcaster KBS on Thursday. “They have strategic goals.”
“Their actions are not accidental. They want Russia’s support in return,” he added in a comment also posted on X’s social media accounts.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (Christoph Soeder/Pool via AP/File)
President Zelensky has called on South Korea to play a bigger role in the conflict, and North Korea has already sent a team of experts to Ukraine to provide defense capabilities, including air defense, as North Korea also provides military aid from Russia. He said he is committed to cooperating. with cannons and missiles.
“If South Korea wants to understand the true capabilities of North Korea and its soldiers, it will be beneficial for them to come here and see and analyze the reality firsthand,” he said. “Think about how close North Korea is to (South Korean capital) Seoul (25 to 30 miles), within range of modern artillery, let alone missiles.
Zelenskiy added: “Air defense networks cannot resist shelling. Our town was destroyed by shelling. We hope that South Korea will not find itself in a situation like this, but preparedness is important.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Soldiers march in a parade during the 70th anniversary of the founding of North Korea in Pyongyang, September 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Hang-guan/File)
Zelenskiy also questioned China’s “silence” regarding North Korea’s recent involvement in the war.
Meanwhile, North Korea reportedly fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Tuesday.
The launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a flight test of his country’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile, designed to reach the U.S. mainland. In response to the launch, the United States on Sunday flew a long-range B-1B bomber in a trilateral exercise with South Korea and Japan in a show of force.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
