Video released by Ukraine purportedly shows North Korean soldiers in Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A video that purports to show dozens of them North Korean recruits line up Ukrainian officials have released a collection of Russian military uniforms, saying they show the commitment of troops sent by Pyongyang to the conflict.

The video, released by the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, which operates under the Ministry of Culture and Information, purportedly shows North Korean soldiers standing in line to pick up bags, clothes and other items of clothing from Russian soldiers. The Associated Press could not independently verify the video.

“We received this video from our own sources. For security reasons, we cannot provide additional evidence from the sources that provided this to us,” said Ihor Solovey, the center’s director.

“The video clearly shows North Korean citizens receiving Russian uniforms at the direction of the Russian military,” he said. “For Ukraine, this video is important because it is the first video evidence showing that North Korea is participating in the war on the side of Russia. Now not only with weapons and grenades, but also with personnel.”

The center claims the recordings were made by a Russian soldier in recent days. It did not say how the footage was obtained. The location is unknown.

This came after Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov claimed this in local media 11,000 North Korean infantrymen are currently training in eastern Russia. He predicted they would be ready to join the fighting by November. At least 2,600 would be sent to Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an invasion in August, he was quoted as saying.

“The emergence of any number of new soldiers is a problem because we simply need new, additional weapons to destroy them all,” Solovey told the AP. “The distribution of this video is important as a signal to the global community that, with two countries officially at war against Ukraine, we need more support to deter this aggression.”

If the presence of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine is true, it would be further evidence of the intensifying military ties between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Last summer, They signed a strategic partnership agreement which obliges both countries to provide military aid. North Korean weapons have already been used in the Ukraine war.