Zelenskyy claims possible Iranian military presence in Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested the potential presence of Iranian military personnel in Russia but offered no evidence to substantiate his claim.

Zelenskyy has also expressed frustration at the lack of adequate global response to reports regarding the potential presence of North Korean troops within the Russian Federation, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

He emphasised that Ukraine requires “effective action” concerning the deployment of North Korean forces on Russian territory.

“The voice of the United States, the voice of NATO, the voice of our Western partners, the voice of the Global South and China is not resonating as strongly as it should regarding the presence of a North Korean contingent in Russia,” Zelenskyy stated.

While there has been some response from Kyiv’s allies, Zelenskyy asserted that it has not been sufficiently robust.

Thus, according to two Western intelligence officials, a small contingent of North Korean troops has already entered Ukraine. It is anticipated that this number will increase as these soldiers complete their training in eastern Russia and make their way to the front lines of the ongoing conflict.

This development goes further than the recent confirmation from NATO and the Pentagon, which stated that approximately 10,000 North Korean troops are currently training in eastern Russia, with some already en route to Russia's Kursk region. Ukrainian forces have maintained a presence in Kursk since August.

One official noted on October 29 that many of these North Korean troops appear to be "already in action." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned that Ukrainian intelligence had assessed these troops would begin entering combat zones as of October 27.

While a US official indicated that they cannot yet verify reports of North Korean troops being inside Ukraine, it is clear that the United States has been slow to respond to North Korea's military deployments. US officials did not publicly acknowledge the presence of these troops in Russia until weeks after South Korea had made similar claims.

By Aghakazim Guliyev