Russia has started deploying North Korean soldiers to attack Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on Saturday. TASR informs on the basis of a report by the AFP agency. “(I have) preliminary evidence that Russia has begun deploying significant numbers of troops from North Korea in attacksZelenskyi said during his evening speech.
According to him, DPRK soldiers are part of the combined Russian-Korean units deployed in the Kursk region, where Ukraine has been conducting an offensive since August, but they may also appear in other areas of the front line, he added. Zelenskyy said last month that there are 11,000 DPRK soldiers in the western Kursk region and they have already suffered losses, AFP recalls.
Washington and Seoul have accused Pyongyang of sending more than 10,000 troops to help Moscow after signing a landmark defense deal this summer. North Korea (DPRK) and Russia have strengthened mutual military relations since the beginning of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022adds AFP.
During a surprise offensive that began in August, the Ukrainian army occupied large areas in the Kursk region. In the meantime, the Russian army managed to stop Ukraine’s advance, moved reinforcements to the area and is gradually regaining the conquered territory. A source from the environment of the Ukrainian army told AFP last month that Kyiv still controls approximately 800 square kilometers of the Kursk region. Originally, Ukraine allegedly controlled almost 1,400 kilometers of territory, adds AFP.
