UN Secretary-General expresses ‘deep concern’ over North Korean military deployment in Russia
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed ‘deep concern’ over the information about the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia, which could be involved in hostilities at the front in Ukraine. This was reported by the EFE news agency.
In a statement on Sunday, Guterres stressed that this situation could lead to a ‘serious escalation of the conflict in Ukraine’ and called on all parties to take measures to prevent the international expansion of the war.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, in late October, Russia moved more than 7,000 North Korean troops to areas near the border with Ukraine. The troops were reportedly flown in from training bases in eastern Russia by at least 28 military aircraft and are armed with Russian mortars, AK-12s, machine guns, sniper rifles and anti-tank weapons, as well as thermal imagers, scopes and binoculars.
The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, reacted by expressing surprise at how the international community ignores North Korea’s increasingly aggressive actions.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian side had identified all the points where Russia is concentrating North Korean troops and, with the support of Western allies, was ready to launch preventive strikes on these sites. He called on international partners to act proactively and not wait for the attacks to begin.
Earlier, the US warned of the possibility of sending about 10,000 North Korean troops to Russia, which was later confirmed by South Korea.
