Zelenskyy: Russia is ‘internationalising’ war by deploying North Korean troops

A Ukrainian officer of the 92nd separate assault brigade inspects ammunition in a shelter on the frontline near Vovchansk, Kharkiv (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that the thousands of North Korean soldiers expected to reinforce Russian troops on the front line in Ukraine are pushing the almost three-year war beyond the borders of the warring parties.

Western leaders say North Korea has sent about 10,000 soldiers to help Russia’s military campaign and warned that its involvement in a European war could also unsettle relations in the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan and Australia.