Officials in Kiev released a video this weekend purporting to show North Korean soldiers receiving combat apparel for use in Ukraine at the Sergeevsky military base in Russia’s far east.
The unverified footage emerges as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the rogue nation on Thursday of preparing to send 10,000 troops to assist its Russian allies in their war against his country.
“The video clearly shows North Korean citizens being given Russian uniforms under the direction of the Russian military,” the Director of Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, Ihor Solovey, told The Associated Press. “For Ukraine, this video is important because it is the first video evidence that shows North Korea participating in the war on the side of Russia. Now not only with weapons and shells but also with personnel.”
Solovey’s comments follow reports from South Korea’s intelligence services estimating that around 1,500 North Korean troops are already in Russia, while Ukrainian authorities have stated the number could be high as 11,000 by the end of the month.
North Korea has faced international criticism for supplying munitions to Moscow during the Kremlin's 30-month invasion, but it has not deployed any ground forces to the conflict zone.
In June, North Korea’s dictator Kim Jung Un signed a defense treaty with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang, committing both countries to provide military assistance to each other.
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