KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – A video purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect uniforms and equipment for the Russian military is aimed at intimidating the Ukrainian military, and a new The introduction of new weapons signals the beginning of a new chapter in the two-and-a-half year war. Ukrainian officials said they had plunged the country into a war zone.
The video, seen by the Ukrainian Strategic Communications and Information Security Center under the Ministry of Culture and Information, shows what appears to be North Korean soldiers queuing up to receive bags, clothes and other clothing from Russian servicemen. The Associated Press could not independently verify the video.
“We received this video from an independent source. Due to security concerns, we are unable to provide additional verification from the source who provided the information,” said center director Ihor Solovey. Ta.
“The video clearly shows North Korean citizens being given Russian military uniforms under the direction of the Russian military,” he said. “This video is important for Ukraine because it is the first video evidence that North Korea is participating in the war on the Russian side. It now includes not only weapons and shells, but also personnel.”
The center claims the footage was recently shot by Russian soldiers. The location is unknown.
This comes after Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kirillo Budanov said in local media reports that about 11,000 North Korean infantrymen are currently training in eastern Russia. He expected it to be ready for combat by November. He was quoted as saying that at least 2,600 people would be sent to Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine launched its invasion in August.
“The appearance of any number of new soldiers is a problem, because we need new additional weapons to destroy them all,” Solovey told The Associated Press. “The dissemination of this video is important as a signal to the international community that further support is needed to repel this aggression between two countries that are officially at war with Ukraine.”
If the presence of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine is true, it would be further evidence of the strengthening military ties between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Last summer, the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement pledging to provide military aid. North Korean weapons have already been used in the Ukraine war.
