Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech Tuesday night that Ukraine had engaged in military engagement for the first time with South Korean troops sent to support Russia in its war with its neighbor.
President Zelenskiy did not elaborate on the engagement, but warned of Russian intentions to escalate the nearly 1,000-day war.
Kiev officials said Ukrainian troops fired on North Korean soldiers. Kursk border region of Russia.
President Zelenskiy warns that alliance between North Korea and Russia could cause problems in Asia: China's 'silence is impressive'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images, left, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), right)
“Unfortunately, terrorism can spread like a virus if adequate countermeasures are not taken. Now our counterattack must be sufficient and powerful. “The fighting has opened a new chapter of global instability,” President Zelenskiy said. In a nightly video address, he thanked Ukraine's allies around the world.
“Together with the rest of the world, we must do everything possible to ensure that Russia's efforts to seriously escalate the war do not end in failure, both for Russia and for South Korea.”
South Korea's Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that more than 10,000 North Korean troops had arrived in Russia, with a “significant number” of soldiers in front-line areas, including the Kursk region, which was invaded by Ukrainian forces in August. .
According to Reuters, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told South Korean state television that there had been “small engagements” with North Korean troops. The report published excerpts from the interview and quoted Umerov as saying that the fighting was small-scale and not yet systematic in terms of mobilization of soldiers.
File: In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, oversees an artillery drill in North Korea on March 7, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Agency, Associated Press)
Umerov reportedly said he expected five North Korean units of about 3,000 soldiers each to be deployed to the Kursk region. According to the Associated Press, Umerov said North Korean soldiers were mixed with Russian soldiers and their military uniforms were being misidentified.
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Russia is It is reported that there are 1.3 million active duty soldiers. There is another 2 million in reserves. Russia is currently experiencing the highest number of casualties since the war began, with around 1,200 casualties reported per day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed last week. Despite heavy casualties among soldiers, there appears to be no end to the war yet, confirming early fears that this would become a war of attrition.
President Zelensky has warned that the recent deployment of North Korean troops to Russia not only poses problems for Ukraine, but also calls into question the stability and security of Western allies in Asia.
President Zelenskiy: “North Korea's actions are not a coincidence'' spoke in a candid interview It was broadcast on South Korea's public broadcasting network KBS on Thursday. “They have strategic goals.”
“Their actions are not accidental. They want Russia's support in return,” he added in a comment also posted on his social media account about X.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday, September 20, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Christoph Soeder, pool photo via AP)
President Zelensky has called on South Korea to play a bigger role in the conflict, with North Korea also providing support to Russia, and South Korea has already sent a team of experts to Ukraine to cooperate on defense capabilities, including air defense. He said he promised to do so. cannons and missiles.
“If South Korea wants to understand the true capabilities of North Korea and its soldiers, it would be beneficial for them to come here and see and analyze the reality firsthand,” he said. Consider how close North Korea is to Seoul [25-30 miles]the range of modern artillery and not even missiles. ”
Zelenskiy added: “Air defense networks cannot resist shelling. Our town was destroyed by shelling. We hope that South Korea will not find itself in a situation like this, but preparedness is important.”
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Soldiers march in a parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, September 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Hang-guan, File)
Zelenskiy also questioned China's “silence” regarding North Korea's recent involvement in the war.
Meanwhile, North Korea reportedly fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Tuesday.
The launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a flight test of his country's newest intercontinental ballistic missile, designed to reach the U.S. mainland. In response to the launch, the United States on Sunday flew a long-range B-1B bomber in a trilateral exercise with South Korea and Japan in a show of force.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
