Indications are mounting that North Korean soldiers will fight in Ukraine alongside Russia. How are the dynamics of war changing and what is the West doing?
The war in Ukraine seems to be taking on a new dimension. Last Friday, South Korea’s NIS intelligence agency reported that Pyongyang intends to send up to 12,000 troops to Russia for the war against Ukraine. Of these, around 3,000 have already been transferred to Russia. According to the South Korean secret service, the soldiers will be given Russian uniforms. DW’s Fact Check team has been able to confirm that satellite images released by the NIS (National Intelligence Service) do indeed show locations in Russia’s Eastern Military District where North Korean soldiers have reportedly been transported. So far, both Russia and North Korea deny the information about the transfer of North Korean soldiers to the Ukrainian front.
At the moment there is very little concrete information and many vague scenarios, says Niko Lange, associate of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), on the microphone of DW: “There is no doubt, however, that the North Koreans are in Russia for training. And there is also no doubt that for some time now, and more specifically shortly after the visit of President Putin to Pyongyang for contacts with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, construction units of the North Korean armed forces have been active in the occupied territories in Ukraine. But from this we should not automatically conclude that 12,000 North Korean soldiers are fighting on the side of the Russians on the Ukrainian front. This information is not confirmed.”
“European states are not developing a common strategy”
The US was the first NATO member to report “evidence” of North Korean troops in Russia. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin chooses to keep a low profile saying, “If the North Koreans really intend to go to war on the side of Russia, then that is a very serious problem.”
A problem that will be called upon to face, as everything shows, the next American president, when he takes office. For their part, the Europeans are waiting until the election of a new president in the US, German expert Nico Lange estimates: “At the moment, I do not see the major European states coming together to develop a common strategy, answering questions such as: What do we want to succeed in Ukraine? What will we do against Russia and its supporters? And how will we move forward together? But this is the question at the given time”.
Editor: Stefanos Georgakopoulos
Source :Skai
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
