Zelenskyy Accuses North Korea of Sending Soldiers to Aid Russia in the Conflict

Department of Security and Military Strategic Research and Studies 14-10-2024

Ukraine’s president has urged his country and its allies to adapt their strategies in response to Russia’s growing ties with North Korea. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that North Korea is supplying not only weapons but also soldiers to assist Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine.

In a video address on Sunday evening, Zelenskyy stated, “We are witnessing an increasing collaboration between Russia and regimes like North Korea. This is no longer just a matter of arms transfers—it now includes the deployment of personnel from North Korea to support Russia’s occupying forces.”

He emphasized that Ukraine and its allies must adjust their approach to this deepening alliance and reiterated his call for enhanced military aid to deter a broader conflict.

“Our frontline needs more reinforcement,” he urged. “When we talk about providing Ukraine with more advanced long-range capabilities and stronger supplies for our forces, it’s not merely a list of equipment. It’s about escalating the pressure on the aggressor—a pressure that must surpass Russia’s capacity to withstand. And it’s about preventing a larger-scale war.”

Despite Zelenskyy’s repeated calls for permission to use longer-range missiles to target military sites within Russia, efforts to weaken Russia’s war capabilities have yet to gain the necessary approval. He pledged to continue working toward this goal.

“True peace can only be achieved through strength,” he said, adding that the coming week would be dedicated to negotiations with Ukraine’s partners to secure the necessary support for lasting peace.

Western leaders had planned to convene in Germany last week, but U.S. President Joe Biden postponed his trip due to Hurricane Milton approaching Florida. Biden is now expected to travel to Germany this week, with the conflict in Ukraine being a key item on the agenda.

South Korea’s Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun recently suggested that there was a “strong likelihood” that North Korean soldiers were being sent to assist Russia in Ukraine. He also mentioned it was “very probable” that North Korean officers were killed in a Ukrainian strike on Russian-controlled territory.

In response, Russia dismissed these claims as “fake news.”

Relations between Russia and North Korea have grown closer since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare international trip in September 2023, traveling to eastern Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin and visits to military installations.

Putin, in turn, visited North Korea in June—his first visit to the country in over two decades—where Kim pledged his “full support and solidarity” for Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.

The United States, South Korea, and Ukraine have all accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia for use in the conflict. Earlier this year, United Nations sanctions monitors reported that debris from a missile that struck Kharkiv on January 2 was identified as originating from a North Korean Hwasong-11 ballistic missile.