Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Tuesday that the anticipated deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to bolster Russian troops on the Ukrainian front line signifies an escalation of the war beyond the borders of the warring parties.
Western leaders assert that North Korea has dispatched approximately 10,000 soldiers to support Russia’s military campaign, warning that this involvement in a European conflict could disrupt relations in the Indo-Pacific region, encompassing countries like Japan and Australia.
Zelenskyy disclosed that he had spoken with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, informing him that 3,000 North Korean soldiers are already stationed at military bases near the Ukrainian front line, with an expected increase to 12,000.
Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder revealed on Tuesday that a “relatively small number” of North Korean troops are currently present in Russia’s Kursk region, where Russian forces have been struggling to repel a Ukrainian incursion, and a couple of thousand more are en route to the area.
South Korea, which has been actively engaged with NATO, the U.S., and the European Union regarding these recent developments, cautioned last week that it might provide arms to Ukraine in response to North Korea’s involvement.
“There is only one conclusion — this war is internationalized and goes beyond the borders” of Ukraine and Russia, Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
The Ukrainian president also stated that he and Yoon had agreed to enhance their countries’ cooperation, exchange more intelligence, and develop concrete responses to Pyongyang’s involvement.
In Washington, White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan met with Zelenskyy’s top advisor on Tuesday to discuss the North Korean troops as well as an upcoming surge of weaponry that the U.S. is delivering to Kyiv to strengthen the Ukrainians’ energy infrastructure protection, according to White House officials privy to their private discussions.
Sullivan and Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, shared concerns about the potential deployment of North Korean troops to Russia’s Kursk region and the implications of such a development for the conflict.
The officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said that during the two-hour meeting at the White House, Sullivan also briefed Yermak on President Joe Biden’s plans to provide Ukraine with additional artillery systems, ammunition, hundreds of armored vehicles, and more before he leaves office in January.
Sullivan informed Yermak that by year’s end, the U.S. administration intends to provide Ukraine with 500 additional Patriot and ARAAM missiles to bolster air defenses, according to the officials.
Meanwhile, North Korea has announced that its top diplomat is visiting Russia, further indicating the deepening relationship between the two countries.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years, with North Korea continuing a series of provocative weapons tests and South Korea and the U.S. expanding their military exercises.
Russian drones, missiles, and bombs struck Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s largest cities, in overnight attacks, killing four people and injuring 15 in an ongoing aerial onslaught, authorities reported on Tuesday.
Russia has been bombarding civilian areas in Ukraine nearly daily since its full-scale invasion of its neighbor, resulting in thousands of casualties.
The Russian army is also pressing hard against front-line defenses in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The Russian Defense Ministry asserted on Tuesday that Russian troops captured the Donetsk town of Hirnyk and the villages of Katerynivka and Bohoiavlenka.
Zelenskyy also addressed the war during a meeting on Tuesday with the leaders of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. He announced that a conference will begin in Canada on Wednesday to address the alleged abduction of tens of thousands of children by Russia from occupied territories in Ukraine.
A Russian airstrike hit Kharkiv, in Ukraine’s northeast, around 3 a.m., targeting a house and killing four people, according to regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov. He stated that nearly 20 houses were damaged in the attack.
Several hours earlier, Russia dropped a glide bomb on the landmark Derzhprom building in Kharkiv’s city center, injuring seven people, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported. Derzhprom, also known as the Palace of Industry, is being considered for inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Terekhov noted that Russia has concentrated its attacks on Kharkiv in recent days. He urged residents to heed air raid warnings.
Authorities in Kyiv reported that debris from intercepted Russian drones fell on two city districts, injuring six people.
Ukraine has also utilized long-range drones to disrupt Russia’s war machine and embarrass the Kremlin by striking targets on Russian soil.
A special forces academy in Russia’s Chechnya province was hit by drones, causing a fire that was quickly extinguished, according to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This marked the first drone attack on Chechnya, located approximately 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of Ukraine, since the war began.