KYIV (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky said on Saturday that Moscow had begun mobilizing “a notable number” of North Korean troops to push back Ukrainian troops from Russia's Kursk region.
Ukrainian troops began their incursion into this region in August and still control some localities there, as Kyiv seeks to ease pressure on its forces in eastern Ukraine, where Russia continues to advance.
“Currently, preliminary data already shows that the Russians have begun to use North Korean soldiers in their assaults – a considerable number,” the Ukrainian president said in his traditional address to the nation.
“The Russians are integrating them into consolidated units and using them in operations in the Kursk region. For now, it is only in this region,” he added.
Volodimir Zelensky stressed that the participation of North Korean troops in Russian operations in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, constituted a new escalation in the war that began almost 34 months ago.
Ukraine will continue to defend itself, including against North Korean troops, he assured.
Ukrainian and South Korean officials have previously said more than 10,000 North Korean troops are in Russia.
Volodimir Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin was taking steps to expand and continue the war.
He made a new appeal to Ukraine's Western allies to step up their support for Kyiv, saying he would discuss it with his European partners next week.
Volodimir Zelensky plans to attend a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, NATO and the EU.
(Report Olena Harmash; French version Claude Chendjou)
