Russia Accused of Stationing 8,000 North Korean Soldiers Near Ukraine—UN Tension Rises

Robert Wood, U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the UN, disclosed intelligence indicating that 8,000 North Korean troops are currently stationed near the Ukrainian border in Russia’s Kursk region.

Voice of America (VOA) reported yesterday that Wood presented this information during the UN Security Council meeting in New York as he asked Russian officials for clarification.

Wood inquired of Russian Deputy Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva whether Russia still denies the presence of North Korean soldiers within its borders. Evstigneeva did not provide a response.

In his opening remarks, Wood condemned the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including the deployment of North Korean troops.

He stated that such collaboration, which includes the procurement of North Korean weapons and the provision of military training, contravenes multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

Wood stressed that, despite the addition of North Korean troops, Russian forces would still be unable to secure victory in Ukraine.

Kim Sang Jin, Deputy Ambassador for the UN in South Korea, stated, “Russia initiated an unjustified war, sacrificing innocent Ukrainian lives, and now seeks to prolong it by bringing in foreign troops from a notorious rogue regime that consistently violates international law and Security Council resolutions.”

“These violations were repeated just yesterday (October 30) when North Korea launched another intercontinental ballistic missile,” he added.

Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, who requested the meeting, refrained from mentioning the North Korean troop deployment to Russia and instead claimed that “Ukraine is filling its army with foreign mercenaries.”