Russian forces bolster lines with North Korean troops

According to Ukrainian military intelligence, in the last week of October, Russia moved over 7,000 North Korean soldiers to border areas near Ukraine.

Ukrainian sources report that these soldiers were transported using at least 28 military transport aircraft.

According to the Ukrainska Pravda portal, Moscow supplied them with 60 millimetre mortars, AK-12 assault rifles, PK machine guns, Dragunov and Chukavin sniper rifles, Phoenix anti-tank missile systems, as well as anti-tank grenade launchers. They also received night vision devices, thermal imagers, collimator sights, and binoculars.

"What has Moscow armed the North Korean troops deployed on the border with Ukraine?" asks the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's Intelligence.

North Korean soldiers are being trained at five training grounds in the Russian Far East. Russia plans to involve them in frontline activities against Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine will conduct a preemptive strike against thousands of North Korean soldiers; however, this requires long-range weapons.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on Western allies on Friday to stop "watching" and take action to address the presence of North Korean troops in Russia before they begin fighting Ukrainian soldiers.

In a video published on Telegram, Zelensky noted that North Korea has made progress in developing its military potential, missile deployment, and weapons production, and "now, unfortunately, wants to learn modern warfare art."

"The first thousands of soldiers from North Korea are near the border with Ukraine. Ukrainians will be forced to defend themselves against them. And the world will again watch," stated Zelensky.