Zelenskyy: North Korean troops will join Russia’s war against Ukraine on 27-28 October

On 25 October, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on his Telegram channel that Russia will deploy its first North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine on 27-28 October, referring to military intelligence.

North Korea has supplied Russia with artillery, missiles, and munitions for its war in Ukraine. Reports from Ukraine and South Korea say 3,000 North Korean troops, including special forces, are training in Russia’s Far East. Kyodo, citing a Ukrainian military source, reported that 2,000 North Korean soldiers had relocated to Russia’s Kursk Oblast near Ukraine.

Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander Syrskyi had provided timelines on Russia’s deployment of North Korean troops, stating,

“According to intelligence, the first North Korean soldiers will be used by Russia in combat zones on 27–28 October,” the President said, calling it “a clear escalation by Russia that carries significance, unlike all the disinformation that has been widely spread in Kazan in recent days.”

Citing Kazan, Zelenskyy referred to the BRICS summit that Russia’s Kazan City hosted on 22-24 October.

The Ukrainian President stressed that North Korea’s combat involvement demands pressure on Russia and D​PRK:

“The actual involvement of North Korea in combat must be met not with closed eyes or confused comments, but with tangible pressure on both Moscow and Pyongyang to ensure compliance with the UN Charter and accountability for the escalation,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) reported that North Korean military units had already arrived in Kursk Oblast for participation in the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. The troops’ presence was first detected on 23 October.

According to HUR, the newly arrived North Korean soldiers were undergoing training at five military bases in eastern Russia: “Baranovsky,” “Donguz,” “Yekaterinoslavsky,” and bases number 248 and 249. Several weeks had been allocated for coordinating the North Korean forces that Russia intends to deploy against Ukraine.

HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov reported that North Korea is receiving money and nuclear technology from Russia in exchange for deploying its troops in the war against Ukraine, according to Militarnyi.

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