Zelensky says Russia has deployed 45,000 troops in Kursk region
31 October 2024 22:42
Russia has now concentrated 45,000 troops in the Kursk region. Before that, there were only a few thousand untrained soldiers in the region. Such a statement was made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with the South Korean TV channel KBS, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
“Russia has concentrated where there were no people, where they had several thousand, now they have concentrated about 45 thousand. Where our troops are in the Kursk direction. And they will increase it further. They do not have enough troops. They are pulling more North Korean troops there,” the Ukrainian president said.
Zelensky emphasized that “Russia really wants us to leave this territory.” He said that the enemy had used its entire army on Ukrainian territory, while leaving its own lands unprotected.
“Russia is using its entire army on the territory of Ukraine. Russia is not defenseless. They left all the weak troops on the territory of Russia, untrained units that are not able to defend their country. Our first operation in the Kursk region proved this,” the Head of State added.
He believes that Russia plans to increase the number of its military in this area. However, according to him, Russia lacks its own forces, so it decided to send military from North Korea to the Kursk region.
“If they didn’t want to restore their territorial integrity there, why else would they want to get North Korean troops there, in addition to their own troops, because they don’t have enough of their own forces,” the head of state said.
It should be noted that the Pentagon also confirmed that DPRK troops are in Russia. According to White House National Security Advisor John Kirby, in early October, the DPRK moved troops by sea from the Wonsan region to the Russian city of Vladivostok. From there, the soldiers headed to three military facilities in eastern Russia for basic combat training.
“We don’t know yet whether these soldiers will join the Russian army in combat, but it’s certainly a very disturbing possibility,”
– Kirby said.
He also warned that if North Korean soldiers participate in hostilities against Ukraine, “they will become legitimate military targets.”
Earlier, South Korean intelligence reported that North Korea had decided to send 12,000 special forces soldiers to support Russia, most of whom are already training and will be deployed to the front, according to the head of the Defense Intelligence Service, Kirill Budanov, on November 1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that this could be “the first step towards a world war.”
North Korea has also reportedly provided Russia with thousands of containers of ammunition. Last month, Kyrylo Budanov called North Korea’s support for the war “the biggest problem” Kyiv faces from Moscow’s allies.
The deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is a cause for concern in both South Korea and NATO. During a phone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, South Korean President Yun Seok-yeol condemned the military alliance and said that South Korea would take “gradual measures” in response to the threats.
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Cooperation between the DPRK and Russia
on June 19, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid his first visit to North Korea in 24 years. During this visit, he signed an agreement on a “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the two countries with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un. After the signing, Putin noted that this agreement provides for assistance in case of aggression against one of the parties. Recently, the agreement was submitted for ratification in the Russian parliament. The agreement explicitly provides for military assistance:
“If one of the parties is subjected to an armed attack by any state or several states and is thus in a state of war, the other party shall immediately provide military and other assistance by all means at its disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”
After the visit, it became known that the DPRK supplies Russia with artillery shells, which it uses in the war against Ukraine. According to The Times, their number is already approaching 3 million, which is half of all the shells that Russia is firing against Ukraine.
The Kyiv Post, citing intelligence sources, reported that on October 3, 6 North Korean officers who were advising the Russians were killed in Donbas.
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