Russia denies rumors that North Korean soldiers are supporting Moscow in the war in Ukraine.
Reports that North Korean soldiers are fighting alongside Russian forces in the conflict in Ukraine are untrue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on October 10.
Earlier this week, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun suggested that Pyongyang could send troops to fight for Russia after the country signed a mutual security treaty with Moscow. Kim described the possibility of such a deployment as “highly possible” and said that some North Korean soldiers appeared to have been killed in the conflict in Ukraine.
“It looks like this is another piece of fake news,” Mr Peskov replied when asked to comment on the rumor.
The Russia-North Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, signed in June during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang, replaces several previous agreements between the two countries. It also includes a provision for mutual military assistance, but only in the event of an attack on either side.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that the new agreement between the two countries reflected a “purely defensive stance” and that only those planning to attack Russia or North Korea would object.
Russia said the agreement was not aimed against South Korea or any other third party, but was meant as a warning to countries that want to use military measures to resolve the crisis on the Korean peninsula.
There have been previous rumours that North Korea is sending troops to Ukraine to fight, but Russia has repeatedly denied them. Last month, Mr Putin stressed that these reports were “ complete nonsense”.
