UK mentions Russia's desperation: North Korean soldiers enter the fray
-Russia is getting weaker, said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday. He was referring to the plans for North Korean soldiers to participate in the war against Ukraine.
Starmer remarked that if these reports are confirmed, it would indicate Russia's "level of desperation" in its war with Ukraine.
"Russia is getting weaker". Who is Kim helping Putin with?
- Russia is getting weaker, said Starmer and emphasized that Western allies remain "absolutely united" to supporting Kyiv.
Starmer, Biden, Macron, and Scholz held a four-party meeting in Berlin on Friday to discuss the possibility of ending Russia's war against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.
For several days, Ukrainian media have reported the formation of a "special Buryat battalion" in the Russian army, consisting of North Korean citizens. On Tuesday, the Ukrainska Pravda portal reported that it may be deployed for combat tasks in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have been operating since August 6.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that "We know about 10,000 soldiers of North Korea, that they are preparing to send to fight against us". In his view, there is already a group of North Korean officers on Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian troops.
On Friday, the Russian investigative portal The Insider published footage that allegedly shows the training of North Korean soldiers at a training ground in Russia.
South Korea convenes an urgent meeting
On the same day, the South Korean intelligence agency NIS reported that North Korea decided to send about 10,000 soldiers, including special forces, to support Russia in the war against Ukraine. The first contingent, about 1,500 soldiers, is already in Russia.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol convened an unscheduled meeting on Friday with representatives from the intelligence agency, military, and national security services.
