‘Everything was quite detailed’: Zelenskyy says was briefed on North Korean ‘involvement’ in Ukraine war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Reuters File

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Monday that he had received briefings regarding North Korea’s involvement in the war and Russia’s plans for the upcoming autumn and winter.

According to Reuters, Kyiv said that North Korea, an emerging ally of the Kremlin, has supplied ballistic missiles and ammunition to Russia, which Moscow’s forces have used in their operations in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy provided this update on Russian-North Korean cooperation during a nightly address to the nation, following meetings with senior officials in Kyiv to receive their reports.

“Among the most important was the report of the intelligence services … on the intentions of the Russians for the autumn and winter. Everything was quite detailed. The actual involvement of North Korea in the war,” Reuters quoted Zelenskyy as saying .

He provided no further information. It came a day after he said, also without elaborating, that North Korea had transferred personnel to the Russian armed forces.

Reuters could not independently verify the statement.

South Korea’s Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun said last week that “there was a high possibility” that North Korea could deploy troops to help Russia. The Kremlin dismissed that statement as “fake news”.

With inputs from agencies