Politics Ukraine: First victims in clashes with North Koreans

According to reports from Kiev, the first casualties have been reported in clashes between Ukrainian and North Korean soldiers in the Russian border region. "Yes, there are already casualties. That is a fact," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi at a press conference in Budapest, without giving details. According to him, some of the 11,000 North Korean soldiers in the Russian border region of Kursk are involved in battles with the Ukrainian army.

Selenskyj described the deployment of North Koreans by Moscow as a "new wave of escalation" and once again called on the West to respond by releasing long-range weapons against targets in Russia. "I believe that this is precisely the moment to do so," emphasized the head of state.

If there is no response, the Kremlin will deploy an even larger contingent of North Koreans, Selensky said. "Because (Russian President Vladimir) Putin always looks to see what reaction the world has," he said. The world is currently not reacting sufficiently.

Ukraine has been warning of the deployment of North Korean soldiers on the Russian side for several weeks. The USA and South Korea had confirmed the presence of North Koreans in Russia. Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for over two and a half years with Western help.

SDA