The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky stated today that Russia plans to deploy North Korean troops to the battlefield starting Oct. 27-28, citing intelligence reports.

“According to intelligence reports, on October 27-28, the first North Korean troops from Russia will be used in combat zones,” he said via Telegram after receiving reports from his top commander.

Zelensky called on allies to respond to this “escalating move” by putting “tangible pressure” on Moscow and Pyongyang.

At the same time, Ukrainian prosecutors said they had launched an investigation into her support North Korea to Russia at war as a potential crime of aggression.

Providing armaments and ground forces to engage in battles against her UkrainianNorth Korean officials could face charges, the Attorney General’s Office told Reuters.

“We record and collect evidence on all possible sides of such involvement as part of the basic process for the crime of aggression,” the office said in a statement.

These aspects concern the provision of armaments to the Russian Federation, the organization of training of Russian military personnel and the direct participation of North Korean forces in hostilities, according to the prosecution.

Ukraine’s military intelligence service, South Korea and several Western governments have said North Korean soldiers, trained in Russia, have been deployed in the Kursk region on the Russian border where Ukrainian forces launched a major infiltration operation in August.

The Kremlin has dismissed reports of North Korea’s troop deployment as “fake news”. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin, when asked about this issue yesterday, did not directly deny that North Korean troops are in Russia.

Ukraine’s intelligence service has said that a total of about 12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers and three generals, are already in Russia and training at five military bases.