Volodymyr Zelensky says 11,000 North Korean troops deployed in Russia's Kursk region

The Ukrainian president has once again denounced the presence of North Korean forces in western Russia, with the prospect of being sent to the front line.

Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday, November 4, that 11,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed in the Russian region of Kursk to support the Kremlin army, which is trying to expel Ukrainian forces from this territory bordering Ukraine. “We see an increase in the number of North Koreans but no increase in the reaction of our partners” Western countries, lamented the Ukrainian president in his daily address.

Volodymyr Zelensky had already castigated the West last week for its response “zero” to the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia. Ukraine sees “all the sites where Russia gathers these North Korean soldiers on its territory” and could hit them if she had the weapons and authorization to use them, he said on Saturday. But instead of acting, “America is watching, Britain is watching, Germany is watching. Everyone is waiting for the North Korean army to start hitting the Ukrainians”the head of state fumed.

During a press conference with her Ukrainian counterpart Andriï Sybiga, the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, for her part only mentioned “help” military received by Moscow from North Korea, without further declarations. “I know how scary some of the debates in Germany seem in your countries”while “some of my compatriots doubt German support” to Ukraine, admitted Annalena Baerbock.

A sign of an ever more visible alliance, Russian President Vladimir Putin received the head of North Korean diplomacy, Choe Son Hui, at the Kremlin on Monday, who conveyed to him “very sincere” greetings from leader Kim Jong-un. Moscow and Pyongyang, however, have neither confirmed nor denied the presence of these troops in Russia.