Volodymyr Zelensky estimates that around 12,000 troops from North Korea will be in Russia ‘soon’

The United States, very worried about this deployment, estimates the number of soldiers sent “to train in eastern Russia” at 10,000.

He again denounces “escalade” in the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky estimated, Monday October 28, the number of North Korean soldiers at around 12,000 “Soon” in Russia for training. He expects to see them next on the battlefield in Ukraine. “There are already 3 000 North Korean soldiers on Russian territory. According to our intelligence services there will soon be 12 000″he said during a summit in Iceland with the leaders of the Nordic countries.

A little earlier, the Pentagon had estimated this contingent of soldiers at 10,000, sent “to train in eastern Russia”. What will have “probably” as a result “a reinforcement of Russian forces near Ukraine in the coming weeks”said deputy Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh, using North Korea’s official name. “A part” of these troops “has already moved closer to Ukraine”she added.

American President Joe Biden described this deployment as “very dangerous”. Washington has also expressed its concern to China, the State Department spokesperson told the press, recalling that Beijing has a “influential voice” in the region.

The new Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, also issued a warning from the Alliance headquarters in Brussels. “J“I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region.”he said, referring to a “significant escalation”. But in his eyes, this use of North Korean soldiers “is also a sign of growing disarray” by Vladimir Putin.

Following a telephone exchange with the South Korean president, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen also insisted on the turning point represented by the sending, “for the first time”North Korean soldiers “in support of Russia’s war of aggression.” “This is a dangerous escalation and a threat to world peace”she estimated.

On the ground, the Russian army has advanced 478 km² into Ukrainian territory since the beginning of October, according to an AFP analysis based on data from the American Institute for the Study of War. (ISW). This is its largest territorial gain in a month since March 2022 and the first weeks of the war.

By October 27, Russian forces had gained more ground than during the months of August and September (477 and 459 km²), already marked by significant movements of the front line, particularly in the east of the country. Ukraine around the town of Pokrovsk.