Today at 00:13
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has confirmed the deployment of troops to Russia for the war against Ukraine, stating that this move aligns with the provisions of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between North Korea and Russia.
The Yonhap news agency reported this, citing the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
According to North Korean statements, the troops were sent to Russia “by order” of leader Kim Jong Un under the mutual defense treaty between Pyongyang and Moscow.
“After it was determined that the situation met the conditions for applying the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty with Russia, Comrade Kim Jong Un made the decision for our armed forces to participate in the war and informed the Russian side,” the KCNA statement said.
North Korea also confirmed in its statement that its troops are taking part in fighting in Russia’s Kursk region.
A report by the South Korean Defense Analysis Institute (KIDA) states that North Korea’s participation in Russia’s war against Ukraine has brought more than $20 billion to its economy.
According to an investigation by Reuters in collaboration with the British analytical center Open Source Centre (OSC), North Korea has supplied Russia with at least 4 million artillery shells over the past 20 months. These supplies, delivered systematically by sea and rail, have significantly strengthened Russia’s military capabilities.
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) estimate that “North Korea is using the war in Ukraine as a platform to test its own military capabilities.”
Read also: Lithuanian President Calls Potential Recognition of Crimea as Russian a “Time Bomb”
