Zelenskyy says international response to North Korean troops in Russia isn’t strong enough

In a stark warning about the implications of North Korean military involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the lack of a robust international reaction, likening the situation to the early days of Crimea's occupation.

Oct 31, 2024 - 03:00

Zelenskyy says international response to North Korean troops in Russia isn’t strong enough

yonhap north korea isolates families soldiers sent russia conceals deployment domestically korean

On 30 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an interview with representatives from media outlets in Northern Europe that the international response to the presence of North Korean soldiers on the front lines is not strong enough, according to Ukrinform.

Amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, North Korea has supplied Moscow with at least 11,000 containers of ammunition, including approximately 2 million artillery rounds since 2023. Additionally, South Korea’s intelligence reports say Pyongyang has sent 3,000 troops to Russia, with plans to deploy 10,000 by December. According to the Ukrainian military, the first North Korean units, after training at Russia’s eastern grounds, have already arrived in Russia’s Kursk Oblast combat zone.

“The voice of the US, NATO, Western partners, the Global South, and China is not sounding as loudly as it should regarding the presence of North Korean troops on Russian territory. I consider this very dangerous.
It opens a new chapter in this war. It will be just like at the very beginning of Russia’s occupation of Crimea. There was silence from the West. No one wanted to react. I don’t know why, but everyone was afraid of escalation. They love to use this phrase: ‘to avoid escalation.’ And Putin, having tried this once with Crimea, realized that he could continue,” said Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian president added that Russian leader Vladimir Putin tested such tactics with Donbas and achieved success.

“Donbas was occupied. And after eight years of occupying two Ukrainian territories, he launched a full-scale war. He always tests and experiments to see how it works. How will the West respond? The same applies to the North Korean soldiers,” noted Zelenskyy.

He emphasized the need for a decisive reaction.

“So far, we have heard reactions, but they are not strong enough. That is why Putin is testing, and I don’t know how many more soldiers will arrive from North Korea or Iran. There may be more,” claimed the Ukrainian president.

Among the possible Western responses to the North Korean soldiers on the front lines, Zelenskyy mentioned allowing the use of long-range weapons by partner countries to strike bases and airfield inside Russian territory.

Zelenskyy stated that currently Ukraine does not have the capability to stop North Korean troops while they are on Russian soil.

“We can only defend our land when they are destroying it, when they are already on our land, when they have occupied our land, when they have already killed our children or are trying to do so. So, only at that moment do we have permission to take action,” Zelenskyy added.

Related:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!