A video that shows dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military uniforms and equipment aims to intimidate Ukrainian forces and marks a new chapter in the two-and-a-half-year-old war with the introduction of another country on the battlefield, Ukrainian officials said.
The video, which was obtained by Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security under the Ministry of Culture and Information, reportedly shows North Korean soldiers lining up to collect bags, clothing and other items from Russian military personnel. The Associated Press (AP) was unable to independently verify the video.
“We received this video from our own sources. We cannot provide additional verification from the sources that provided it to us due to security concerns,” said Ihor Solovey, director of the center.
“The video clearly shows North Korean citizens receiving Russian uniforms under the direction of the Russian military,” he said. For Ukraine, this video is important, because it is the first video evidence that shows North Korea’s participation in the war on the side of Russia. Now not only with weapons and shells, but also with personnel. »
The center claims the video was filmed by a Russian soldier in recent days. The location is unknown.
This comes after Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said in local media that around 11,000 North Koreans were currently training in eastern Russia. He predicted they would be ready to join the fighting by November. At least 2,600 would be sent to Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an incursion in August, he said.
“The emergence of a number of new soldiers is a problem, because we will simply need additional new weapons to destroy them all,” Mr. Solovey told the AP. The release of this video is important because it signals to the international community that with two countries officially at war with Ukraine, we will need more support to repel this aggression. »
The presence of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine, if proven, would be further evidence of intensifying military ties between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Last summer, the two countries signed a strategic partnership treaty that commits them to providing military assistance. North Korean weapons have already been used in the war in Ukraine.
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