South Korean intelligence officials have revealed that North Korea has deployed troops to assist Russia in its ongoing war in Ukraine.
As per AP news, the South Korean spy agency said on Friday that North Korea has sent 1,500 soldiers to Russia for training, calling it the first step in the secretive state’s military involvement in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
The reclusive country moved its elite soldiers using seven Russian vessels in early October, according to a statement released on Friday by South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS).
It is reported that the units had earlier been inspected in person by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
According to the agency, the gigantic Russian transport aircraft also travelled between Vladivostok and Pyongyang.
Notably, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of the involvement of North Korean troops joining the war as the concern arose after the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea
“From intelligence that I have … they are preparing 10,000 soldiers, different soldiers, land forces, technical personnel,” Zelensky told reporters at a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday.
He added, “We know about 10,000 soldiers of North Korea … are preparing to (start) fighting against us. This is really an urgent thing, I spoke about it with the United States, I spoke about it with all the leaders.”
It is pertinent to mention here that South Korean media reported that the North will send a total of 12,000 troops, although this figure was not included in the NIS statement.
