Zelensky confirms Ukrainian troops in battle with North Koreans, calls for more support

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Zelensky confirms Ukrainian troops in battle with North Koreans, calls for more support

Published: 06 Nov. 2024, 11:43 Updated: 06 Nov. 2024, 17:36

MICHAEL LEE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky speaks during an online video address from Kyiv on Tuesday (local time). [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Ukrainian troops have fought their first battles with North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region located in western Russia, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky said in a video address from Kyiv on Tuesday (local time).

Zelensky’s message marks the highest-level confirmation from the Ukrainian government that its military has directly engaged with North Korean forces under Russian command.

In his message, Zelensky appealed for more support from the international community in light of his country’s clashes with North Korean soldiers, which he characterized as opening “a new page of instability in the world.”

Referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and use of North Korean soldiers as “terror” and “a virus” that can spread if it does not meet sufficient countermeasures, Zelensky said Ukraine “must do everything to make this Russian step to expand the war” a “failure” for both the North and Russia.

The Ukrainian president also thanked “everyone in the world who responded to the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia,” as well as those “who are preparing appropriate actions to support our defense here in Ukraine.”

However, he also noted that Ukraine’s Western security partners “have not increased their response” despite the arrival of North Koreans on the front lines of the war.

Zelensky’s call for help came after Kyiv’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said “small-scale” fighting between Ukrainian and North Korean troops signaled the start of Pyongyang’s direct involvement in the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.

According to an anonymous U.S. official cited by the New York Times on Tuesday, “a significant number” of North Korean troops were killed in their first clash with Ukrainian forces.

A Ukrainian official who spoke to the New York Times on condition of anonymity said the North Koreans fought together with Russia’s 810 Separate Naval Infantry Brigade and likely meant to probe the Ukrainian lines for weaknesses.

The Ukrainian president’s description of the North Korean troop deployment to Russia as a threat was echoed by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who characterized “deepening military and economic ties between a reckless Russia and an emboldened North Korea” as “deeply dangerous for global security” in an opinion piece published by media outlet Politico on Wednesday.

Rutte also singled out China as bearing “particular responsibility” to use its influence with North Korea and Russia to rein in the war in Ukraine and criticized Beijing for providing access to technology used by Moscow in its war against Kyiv.

According to an official from the South Korean presidential office who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity on Wednesday, Seoul is still in talks with Kyiv over sending a special defense envoy to Ukraine and deciding the nature of additional South Korean support.

However, he said the South Korean government does not believe North Korean troops are yet engaged in combat, contradicting Zelensky's earlier claims.

The official also noted that the deployment of a South Korean military observer team to monitor and track North Korean movements and tactics on the frontlines would require the approval of the National Assembly.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tsaplienko released what he claims is footage of North Korean soldiers training in the Kursk region on his Telegram channel.

In one video, a group of Asian soldiers can be seen repeating Russian words from a Russian instructor, while another video shows a group of Asian soldiers gathered around a blonde instructor for a demonstration.

“In the Kursk region, North Korean troops are practicing landmine detonation under the guidance of Russian instructors,” Tsaplienko explained. “They are also learning Russian words to communicate with their instructors.”

Update, Nov. 6: Additional comments from Rutte and South Korean presidential office and description of troops in Telegram video posted by Tsaplienko.

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]