Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, declared on Saturday that Russia had begun deploying North Korean troops to attack Ukrainian positions in the Kursk area.
Zelenskyy’s confirmation was made the day after news broke that 300 Ukrainian soldiers had been murdered by North Korean forces before reclaiming a Russian village. Zelenskyy called for a worldwide response in his wartime speech on Saturday, highlighting that the active deployment of North Korean forces is the latest development in the continuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
He made his remarks after Ukrainian officials said that a large oil terminal had been struck by a drone attack that triggered a fire in the western Oryol region that Russian firemen were fighting.
“Today, we already have preliminary data that the Russians have begun to use North Korean soldiers in their assaults. A significant number of them,” the Ukrainian leader said. Meanwhile, Russia has not acknowledged nor refuted claims that it is receiving assistance from North Korean forces.
As Donald Trump’s entry to the White House next month feeds rumors of an impending push for peace talks, the Ukrainian leader called for a worldwide response and claimed the more active employment of the military was a new escalation in the war.
