Ukraine said this week that North Korean troops are now deployed in Russia's Kursk region, raising concerns among Western powers. The developments come as Ukrainian troops continue to control strategic areas in the region.
According to the Ukrainian military intelligence service (GUR), "the first units of the North Korean army, trained at training grounds in eastern Russia, have already arrived in the combat zone." This announcement was made after Russian deputies unanimously voted to ratify a strategic partnership treaty with North Korea, which stipulates mutual assistance in the event of aggression by a third country.
In response to these statements, Russian President Vladimir Putin avoided a direct answer on the North Korean deployment, preferring to criticize the role of the West in the Ukrainian conflict. However, he stressed that if there were images of this deployment, it must reflect some reality. Putin also expressed confidence in the seriousness of the agreements between Russia and North Korea.
North Korea has denied the allegations, calling them "baseless rumors." Nevertheless, the intensification of bilateral relations, highlighted by the signing of the cooperation treaty on June 19 during Putin's visit to Pyongyang, has raised growing concerns.
On the side of the Asian neighbors, the South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol warned that his country would not remain inactive in the face of the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia. He even said that it might consider supplying weapons to Ukraine depending on the actions of North Korean forces. Meanwhile, Japan expressed serious concerns about the security implications of this deployment, with government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi highlighting the risk of a deterioration of the situation in Ukraine and its consequences for regional security.
The presence of North Korean troops on the ground in Ukraine could mark a significant escalation of the conflict, amplifying already high tensions between the nations involved and those around them.
