Zelensky: "North Korea Participates in War on Russia's Side"... Requests Support for Victory Plan

Zelensky: "North Korea Included in Putin's Criminal Alliance"

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, stated on the 16th (local time) that his country's intelligence agencies have confirmed that North Korea is supplying not only weapons but also personnel to Russia.

According to foreign media including AFP, President Zelensky appeared before the parliament and said that North Korea is effectively participating in the war in Ukraine on Russia's side, adding, "North Korea is also included in Putin's (Russian President) 'criminal alliance'."

President Zelensky said, "They are Russian factories and military personnel to replace Russians who died in the war," and added, "In fact, this means a second country is participating in the war against Ukraine." He also criticized China and Iran as part of the criminal alliance along with North Korea.

Ukrainian media reported on the 3rd that among about 20 Russian soldiers killed by Ukrainian missile attacks on the Donetsk front, six were North Korean soldiers. On the other hand, Russia has rejected the North Korean troop dispatch rumors as "fake news."

Subsequently, reports citing Ukrainian military and intelligence sources have emerged stating that a 3,000-strong Buryat special battalion composed of North Korean troops is being formed and that North Korea has sent 10,000 personnel to Russia. President Zelensky has also claimed since the 13th that North Korean troops have been deployed to the battlefield daily.

In his parliamentary speech that day, President Zelensky emphasized the "Victory Plan." According to local media, the Victory Plan consists of five components: Ukraine's invitation to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), shifting the battlefield into Russian territory and lifting restrictions on the use of long-range weapons, a comprehensive non-nuclear strategic package to deter Russian aggression, economic cooperation including joint investment in Ukraine's natural resources, and a skilled military force.

Last month, during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly held in the United States, President Zelensky requested support for the Victory Plan from U.S. President Joe Biden and others but failed to generate a significant response. In his parliamentary speech that day, he publicly requested support once again, saying, "If the Victory Plan receives support, the war can be ended by next year."