Russia: "The Allegation of North Korean Troops Participating in the Ukraine War Is False from Start to Finish"

North Korean troops at the '90th Anniversary of the Founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army' military parade.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] Russia has officially denied claims that North Korea proposed dispatching its troops to the war with Ukraine.

According to local media on the 11th, Ivan Nechayev, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated, "I can take responsibility for saying that the related reports are false from beginning to end," adding, "No such negotiations are underway."

He continued, "There are no plans to send North Korean volunteer troops to the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR)," and explained, "We are confident that the combat capabilities of the Russian military and the DPR and LPR militias are sufficient to fulfill the tasks of the 'special military operation'." DPR and LPR are pro-Russian separatist republics established in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Recently, Russia has been struggling against the Ukrainian military more than expected, with military casualties reaching up to 80,000. As a result, some in Russia have raised the possibility of dispatching 100,000 North Korean troops. Since the North Korean military is strong in artillery warfare, their participation is suggested to be a significant boost to Russian forces.

Meanwhile, North Korea is currently negotiating to involve its workers in the reconstruction projects of the DPR and LPR. The DPR has claimed that a group of North Korean experts will arrive to assess the project estimates.