A video showing North Korean recruits lining up for Russian military gear has been confirmed by Ukrainian officials. This footage marks a new phase in the 4-year-old conflict introducing another country to the battlefield.
The video verified by Ukraines Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security shows presumed North Korean soldiers collecting bags clothes and other items from Russian servicemen. Ihor Solovey‚ head of the center‚ stated‚ “We received this video from our own sources We cannot provide additional verification from the sources who provided it to us due to security concerns“
The footage is significant as its the first video evidence of North Koreas direct involvement in the war on Russias side. Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov claims about 11‚000 North Korean infantrymen are training in eastern Russia‚ with 2‚600 expected to be sent to Russias Kursk region.
Solovey emphasized the challenges posed by new soldiers: “The emergence of any number of new soldiers is a problem because we will simply need new additional weapons to destroy them all“. He added that the videos dissemination is crucial as a signal to the world community that with two countries officially at war against Ukraine‚ we will need more support to repel this aggression
The presence of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine (if confirmed) would further demonstrate the strengthened military ties between Putin and Kim Jong Un. Last summer‚ they signed a strategic partnership treaty committing both countries to provide military assistance; North Korean weapons have already been used in the Ukraine war