President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Claims that North Korea has sent troops and weapons to Russia to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine in a sign of growing alliances between the Kremlin and Russia. Pyongyang.

Ukrainian media recently reported that six North Korean military personnel were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on the Russian-held eastern Donetsk region on October 3.

These reports could not be independently verified, but in his formal address of the night published On social media late on October 13, Zelensky repeated these claims, the first time a Ukrainian leader has done so.

“It’s no longer just about the transfer of arms. It’s actually about the transfer of people from North Korea to the occupying military forces,” he said.

Zelensky did not provide evidence to back up his claim, but North Korea’s role in the conflict comes amid signs of straining ties between Moscow and countries such as North Korea and Iran, nearly 32 months after launching an all-out invasion of Ukraine. Speculation has run rampant. .

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US military think tank based in Washington, recently reported that several thousand North Korean troops have arrived in Russia and are being prepared for deployment in Ukraine.

North Korea is reportedly supplying Moscow with weapons and ammunition to support its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is set to begin in February 2022.

South Korea’s intelligence service has claimed that Pyongyang supplies Moscow with artillery shells and short-range missiles. The Kremlin has denied the claims, but has not commented on Zelensky’s claims.

Zelensky said the developments highlight Ukraine’s need for “more support” from its Western partners to “increase pressure” on Russia and prevent a “major war”.

“When we talk about more long-range capability for Ukraine and more decisive supply to our forces, it’s not just an inventory of military equipment. It’s about increasing pressure on an aggressor,” Zelenskiy said. said

Zelenskiy visited Britain, Germany, France and Italy last week to plead for continued military support from Kiev’s partners.

Ukraine and the Middle East are expected to be high on the agenda for a meeting between US President Joe Biden and German leaders when Biden visits Germany later this week.

According to a government source in Berlin, Biden is scheduled to visit Germany for a day on October 18 after a previously scheduled trip was canceled due to Hurricane Milton.

Biden’s original visit was scheduled for October 10-12, during which he planned to hold a meeting of more than 50 of Ukraine’s allies, known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, or Ramstein Group, to discuss further. can be done Support of Kyiv

In Frontline News, Ukrainian officials said on October 14 that five people were killed and eight wounded in Russian attacks over the past day. Local authorities reported casualties in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions hit by Russian shelling.

Russia claimed on October 13 that it had captured the town of Mykhailivka, at the gates of the town of Seldov and south of Pokrosk, where its forces have been advancing for weeks.

Russian troops are trying to capture Pokrovsk, a mining town that was home to about 60,000 people before Moscow invaded.

Russia also said it had evacuated 30,415 people, including about 8,000 children, from areas bordering Ukraine because of shelling and attacks.

Tatyana Moskalkova, Russia’s human rights commissioner, told Russian media in an interview published on October 14 that evacuees were being housed in about 1,000 temporary shelters across Russia.

By RFE/RL

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