Zelenskyy Warns of Imminent Deployment of North Korean Troops in Ukraine Conflict

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that intelligence reports suggest Russia is poised to deploy North Korean soldiers to active combat zones in Ukraine within days, marking a potential escalation in the ongoing conflict. According to Yonhap News Agency, Zelenskyy communicated this development through the social media platform X, referencing insights from Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. "According to intelligence, the first North Korean soldiers are expected to be deployed by Russia to combat zones as early as October 27-28," Zelenskyy stated. He emphasized that this move represents a significant escalation by Russia and urged global leaders to respond decisively. Zelenskyy further insisted that the international community should not react with indifference to North Korea's involvement. He called for concrete measures against both Moscow and Pyongyang to uphold the U.N. Charter and hold them accountable for this development. The claim of North Korean troop involvement is corroborated by statements from South Korea and the United States, which estimate that North Korea has dispatched approximately 3,000 troops to eastern Russia for potential deployment in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin, addressing the situation, neither confirmed nor denied the deployment plans. He highlighted the importance of the "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty with North Korea, which was ratified by Russian lawmakers recently and includes a mutual defense clause. In an interview with the state-run Rossiya-1 TV channel, Putin remarked that decisions regarding troop deployment fall under Russia's sovereign discretion and could involve anything from military exercises to experience sharing.