On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that North Korea plans to send 10,000 soldiers to Russia to fight against Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have claimed for several weeks that North Korean soldiers are fighting for Russia in Ukraine, but have not yet provided any evidence for this. Now the Ukrainian foreign minister, Andriy Sybiga, demands immediate and strong reactions from Kyiv’s allies, writes the AFP news agency. Russia itself has denied that this is the case. A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin completely rejects the claims from the South Korean intelligence service, and calls it fake news. Ukrainian authorities claim that North Korean soldiers are fighting for Russia. Correspondent Jan Espen Kruse says that a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin denies the allegations. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday that there is no evidence that North Korean soldiers are fighting in Ukraine, writes the news magazine Time. On Friday, he changed the wording to the effect that NATO cannot confirm the allegations. – Right now, our official position is that we cannot confirm reports that North Korean soldiers are involved in the hostilities. But this can change, Rutte said on Friday according to the AFP news agency. He added that NATO is in close dialogue with its partners on the matter, and in particular South Korea. Believes this is a serious security threat The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern on Friday about the increasing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, after receiving the news from South Korea, writes AFP. According to South Korea’s intelligence service, North Korea plans to send four brigades of 12,000 soldiers to Russia to help them in the war against Ukraine. That’s what the South Korean news agency Yonhap writes. Kim Jong-un meets North Korean soldiers at a training base in North Korea. The image was distributed by a state-run North Korean news agency in March 2024. Photo: KCNA (state-run North Korean news agency) / AP/NTB South Korean authorities believe that this is a serious security threat. – Not only against our country, but also against the international community, says a statement from the South Korean presidential office. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was on Friday in an urgent meeting about the matter, the office says. Satellite image to show deployment On Friday, South Korean authorities published a satellite image which is said to show North Korean soldiers in Russia. According to them, the satellite image shows that a contingent of 1,500 soldiers is already in place at military bases in eastern Russia. Among others in Vladivostok, Ussurishk, Khabarovsk and Blagoveshchensk, write AFP. The intelligence service says that these forces will probably go to battle on the front lines in Ukraine, equipped with Russian uniforms and weapons, when they have finished training and acclimatization. Airbus Defense and Space satellite image released by the South Korean intelligence agency NIS is said to show North Korean forces massed on the ground at the Russian military facility in Khabarovsk on October 16, 2024. Photo: Released by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) / AFP North Korean soldiers are said to have been transported from North Korea to Russia by Russian warships in the period 8 to 13 October. Can ease the pressure along the front line Associate professor at the Norwegian Defense Academy, Tom Røseth, says the information from South Korea and Ukraine is reliable. – The question is actually how many there are and what they are going to do, says Røseth. He says South Korean intelligence may have gotten too high an estimate of how many North Korean soldiers are going to Russia, and that the actual number remains to be seen. The type of assignment they will carry out is also decisive for the significance of the transfer and the reaction internationally. Associate professor at the Norwegian Armed Forces College, Tom Røseth, says the consequences of the placement of the North Korean soldiers in Russia depend on what the mission is and how many there will be. Photo: Ingvild Vik In terms of international law, there is a difference between whether the North Korean forces will participate in the war with their own uniforms inside Ukraine in an offensive battle, or whether they are more in a defensive position on Russian territory, explains Røseth. – After what has been said, there must be quite capable forces that can make a difference in, for example, the county of Kursk. The forces can then ease the pressure Russia is facing with an extended front line, so that they can go harder into Donbas before the presidential election in the USA. – The fact that Russia is now intensifying its warfare is to get the best possible benefit from a possible peace process from a Trump administration, which he (Putin) naturally hopes for, says Røseth. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said that he will push for a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia if he is elected. – It will probably go over Ukraine’s head, and accommodate Russian positions and territorial gain. – A sign of escalation Professor at the Norwegian Defense Academy, Tormod Heier, believes that NATO, although they will not confirm it, most likely has the same information as South Korea. – If South Korea and Ukraine know about it, then it is very likely that the USA knows about it, Heier believes. Professor at the Norwegian Defense Academy, Tormod Heier, says that the shipment of North Korean soldiers to Russia both indicates that Russia is in a stressful situation, and is a sign that the war is escalating. Photo: Aurora Ytreberg Meløe / news – This is a sign that the war is in many ways escalating, because North Korean units are part of the Russian chain of command and are subject to a Russian aggressor who is at war with Ukraine, which is NATO’s strategic partner. Seen from NATO’s point of view, the truth will then be greater that the war will be prolonged, which is of no interest to either NATO or Ukraine, he says. – But this also says something about how much pressure the biggest country in the world, Russia, is when they see themselves forced to import soldiers from North Korea. Ever closer ties Russia and North Korea have long been allies, and in recent years have forged increasingly closer ties. Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin walk side by side during Putin’s state visit to Pyongyang in June this year. The image is distributed by state-controlled Russian media. Photo: VLADIMIR SMIRNOV / AFP/NTB This summer, the countries entered into an agreement to provide military assistance to each other if one of the countries was attacked. North Korea has previously been blamed for contributing to the war in Ukraine by sending weapons and ammunition to Russia, something both countries reject. – We know that North Korea supports Russia in many ways: With weapons supplies, technological supplies and innovation, to support the warfare. It is worrying, says Nato chief Mark Rutte, according to Reuters. Published 18.10.2024, at 20.36 Updated 18.10.2024, at 21.46
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Claims North Korea will deploy 10,000 soldiers in Ukraine – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
