Volodymyr Zelenskyy says North Korean army officers already in Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says 'some officers of the North Korean army are already on Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by the Russian enemies'. Photo / Getty Images

Thousands of North Korean troops are being prepared to fight on Russia’s behalf in Ukraine and some North Korean officers have already been deployed there, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says.

The United States and other allies of Ukraine have long accused North Korea of sending weapons to Russia, and in recent days Zelenskyy has said North Korean personnel are being sent as well.

“We have information from our intelligence that ... some officers of the North Korean army are already on Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by the Russian enemies. So they joined the Russian army,” Zelenskyy told a news conference in Brussels.

He said he could not give the exact number that were already on the ground.

“We know about 10,000 soldiers of North Korea that they are preparing to send fight against us,” he said, describing it as “first step to the World War”.

The North Korean troops being prepared to fight in Ukraine include land forces and “other technical personnel”, Zelenskyy claimed.

Ukraine’s allies have yet to back the Ukrainian assertion that North Korea is sending troops although they say they are studying it.

White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said on Tuesday any North Korean troop involvement in Ukraine, if true, would mark a significant increase in the North Korea-Russia defence relationship.

Zelenskyy said Russia needs to fill the gap in mobilisation and cover its own personnel losses.

Ukraine and its allies say hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded fighting in Ukraine while Ukraine’s own military losses – a closely guarded secret – are also high but smaller.

Russian forces have advanced over the past several months in Ukraine’s east.

Ukraine has called on allies to respond firmly to North Korean aid for Russia, including by imposing new sanctions and further isolating North Korea.