"South Korea's Chance to End Division"… 'Mariupol Hero' Ukrainian General Appeals in Korean

Unit that Withstood Tens of Thousands of Russian Troops for 2 Months
"An Opportunity to End the Division of the Republic of Korea" Emphasized

Bohdan Krotevych, the commander of the Azov Brigade, who fought to the end despite facing concentrated shelling from Russian forces on the eastern front of Ukraine, is drawing attention by appealing for international support in Korean.

On the 20th (local time), Commander Krotevych posted on his X account, "North Korea has sent its most combat-ready troops to Ukraine," emphasizing, "This is an opportunity for the Republic of Korea to end the division artificially created by the Soviet communist regime since 1945."

He continued, "It is an opportunity for all of East Asia to protect itself safely from a neighbor with a nuclear button," calling for a strong response from the international community. This post was made after some foreign media reported that "North Korean troops supported Russia."

Commander Bohdan Krotevych of the Azov Brigade [Image source=Official Instagram capture]

In fact, American newspapers such as The New York Times (NYT) have speculated on the scale of North Korean troops deployed to Russia based on statements from U.S. Department of Defense officials. Some claims suggest that the number of North Korean troops deployed to the Ukrainian front reaches 10,000, and there are reports that a battalion composed of North Korean troops has already been deployed in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. The Russian side has dismissed these claims as "fake news."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also mentioned on the 17th at the European Union (EU) summit held in Brussels, Belgium, "I understand that Russia plans to train 10,000 (North Korean) troops in various military fields," adding, "Russia has suffered heavy losses on the battlefield, and there is widespread opposition to mobilization in society."

North Korea's direct involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war is also being sensitively received in domestic politics. The ruling party unanimously condemned North Korea's dispatch of troops to Russia on the 21st. Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, emphasized again at the party's supreme council meeting, "North Korea's participation in the war is a very wrong judgment," and stated, "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration's policies on defense and foreign security are very firm and strict."

Meanwhile, Commander Krotevych, who directly appealed for support in Korean, is currently serving as the head of the Azov Brigade. The Azov Brigade is a unit that engaged in fierce battles in Mariupol, a southeastern Ukrainian port city, after the war broke out two years ago. Despite being an infantry force of only about 800 to 1,000 soldiers, they successfully defended against over 10,000 Russian troops who deployed artillery power for more than two months, drawing attention.

Before the war, the Azov Brigade was also a controversial armed group due to the far-right and Nazi tendencies of its combatants and founders. However, after the war, as its personnel expanded and Ukrainian military officials were assigned to the leadership, these tendencies are known to have faded.