Zelensky Accuses North Korea of Sending Troops to Support Russian Army

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused North Korea of providing military assistance to Russia by sending troops, stating that due to the transfer of personnel and weapons from Pyongyang to Russia, Ukraine's defense relations with its partners should change. On Sunday evening, October 14, Zelensky said, "We are witnessing an increase in cooperation between Russia and regimes like North Korea, and this is not just about sending weapons. In fact, it is about the transfer of human forces from North Korea to the Russian military." He emphasized that under such circumstances, Ukraine's relations with its partners must be expanded, and the front line needs more support. Previously, South Korea had also announced that North Korea was likely sending some of its military personnel to assist Russia in the war against Ukraine and that there was a possibility that Pyongyang planned to send more troops. However, the Kremlin rejected these claims on Thursday. Zelensky's remarks come just days after his trip to the capitals of several European countries to request military and financial assistance. He visited Berlin, London, and Paris to seek ongoing military support while Russia's military aggression against Ukraine continues. On Sunday, he stated, "When we talk about longer-term capabilities for Ukraine and providing more weapons for our forces, we are not just talking about a list of military equipment." The Ukrainian president added, "This is about increasing pressure on the aggressor that is stronger than Russia can bear and also preventing a larger war." Ukraine accused Russia of killing and mutilating a prisoner of war. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of executing nine captured soldiers in the Kursk border area and violating "all laws and customs of war." Ukrainian officials say the information obtained comes from Ukraine's field analysis of data from the DeepState website, which has released drone footage apparently showing the killed soldiers. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner, has also stated that he has written to the UN and the Red Cross regarding these accusations. Two months ago, he had also requested the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN to investigate an image widely shared on social media, which he claimed likely showed a Ukrainian prisoner of war being killed and mutilated by Russian forces. Kyiv also reported that at least two people were killed and 22 others injured in Russian attacks in Ukraine over the past 24 hours. Russia, which denies torture or other forms of mistreatment of prisoners, has not yet commented on these reports, and the claims are currently not independently verifiable. The allegations made by Ukraine are the latest in a series of reports from Kyiv regarding claims of the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces. Kyiv claims to have documented evidence regarding the execution of 93 Ukrainian prisoners of war, based on what an official involved in investigations related to war crimes connected to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine announced.