Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that North Korea’s military support for Russia is pushing the conflict beyond the borders of Ukraine and Russia.
“There is only one conclusion—this war is internationalized and goes beyond the borders of Ukraine and Russia,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Western officials estimate that North Korea has sent approximately 10,000 troops to reinforce Russian forces in Ukraine.
The move has prompted warnings that Pyongyang’s growing role in the European conflict could destabilize the Indo-Pacific region, including nations such as Japan and Australia.
Firefighters inspect the damaged office building after it was hit by Russian aerial guided bombs in central Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday the arrival of North Korean soldiers…
Firefighters inspect the damaged office building after it was hit by Russian aerial guided bombs in central Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday the arrival of North Korean soldiers are pushing the war beyond borders.
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Efrem Lukatsky/AP
How Many North Korean Troops are in Russia?
Zelensky disclosed that he had spoken with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, revealing that around 3,000 North Korean soldiers are already stationed at military bases near the Ukrainian front lines.
Zelensky expects that number to swell to as many as 12,000 troops.
In response, South Korea—already in close contact with NATO, the U.S., and the European Union—has indicated it may send arms to Ukraine if North Korea’s involvement escalates further.
Zelensky and Yeol agreed to bolster bilateral cooperation, ramp up intelligence exchanges, and develop coordinated responses to North Korea’s involvement.
Meanwhile, North Korea’s top diplomat is currently visiting Russia.
North Korea continues its aggressive weapons testing, while South Korea and the United States are intensifying their joint military drills in response.
Overnight Assault on Kyiv and Kharkiv
Also on Tuesday, Russian drones, missiles, and bombs pounded Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s two largest cities, killing four civilians and wounding 15 others.
As part of an overnight assault, Russia dropped a glide bomb on the landmark Derzhprom building in Kharkiv city center in the early hours of Tuesday, injuring seven people, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Derzhprom, also known as the Palace of Industry, is under consideration to be included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List as an example of modernist architecture.
Russian forces have intensified their attacks against Ukraine since launching their full-scale invasion nearly three years ago, with daily strikes leading to thousands of civilian casualties.
The Russian military is also mounting fierce offensives on front-line positions in the eastern Donetsk region, an area that has seen some of the war’s most brutal fighting.
The assault on Kharkiv, located in northeastern Ukraine, struck a residential area around 3 a.m., regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
Four people were killed in the blast, and nearly 20 homes sustained significant damage.
Terekhov urged residents to take air raid warnings seriously amid what he described as an intensified Russian campaign targeting Kharkiv in recent days.
In Kyiv, debris from intercepted Russian drones rained down on two districts, leaving six people injured.
Ukraine’s Drone Offensive
Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued its strategy of hitting Russian targets using long-range drones.
On Tuesday, a drone attack hit a special forces academy in Russia’s Chechnya province, resulting in a fire that was quickly contained, according to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This attack marks the first drone strike of the conflict on Chechnya, which is located roughly 500 miles east of Ukraine.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press