Ukraine has released a video purportedly showing North Korean soldiers at a training center in Russia.
It comes amid speculation that North Korean troops may be deployed in Ukraine to fight for Russia.
Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, which operates under the Culture and Information Ministry, posted the footage on social media.
The around 30-second-long video was reportedly shot at a training facility in Russia’s Far East. It shows people in military uniforms lining up to receive supplies and other items and conversing in the Korean language.
The head of Ukraine’s defense intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that about 11,000 North Korean infantry troops are currently being trained in Russia, and are expected to be ready for combat against Ukraine by November 1.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has said around 1,500 special forces were transferred from North Korea to Russia’s Far East this month.
In a social media post on Friday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the North Korean troops are regular units rather than mercenaries. The minister criticized Russia for planning to use them as “cannon fodder.” He urged the US and European nations to respond to the issue without delay.