Lukashenko explains how involvement of North Korean troops in war against Ukraine can unfold - ISW
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko (photo: Getty Images)
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko does not believe that Vladimir Putin will engage North Korean troops to bolster the Russian army. In his view, NATO would respond to such a move by deploying its forces in Ukraine, reports the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
In response to a question from the BBC, the dictator labeled as nonsense the information regarding the intentions of North Korean troops to participate in the war alongside Russian forces against Ukraine. He believes that Putin will never attempt to persuade another state to involve its army in Russia's war in Ukraine. He stated that the deployment of armed forces from any country, including Belarus, to the front lines in Ukraine would be a step toward escalation of the conflict.
Lukashenko emphasized that if we (Belarusians) become embroiled in the war, it would lead to escalation and that NATO would deploy troops in Ukraine in response to the involvement of another country. He again denied Belarus's involvement in the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which partially began from Belarusian territory.
In an interview with the Russian TV channel Rossiya 1 on October 23, Lukashenko stated that he does not believe that the Russian leadership or military needs North Korean troops, as there are sufficient Russian forces on the front lines and the Kremlin has substantial mobilization resources.
According to the Belarusian leader, Moscow understands that involving North Korean troops in the war would be undesirable for Russia, and the West would respond by sending NATO troops to Ukraine.
"Kremlin newswire TASS notably did not report on Lukashenko's statements about how the use of North Korean forces in Russia's war against Ukraine is not in Russia's interests and only reported on his claims that NATO would deploy troops to Ukraine in response to the participation of North Korean forces in the war," the ISW report states.
Involvement of North Korean military forces in the war against Ukraine
For several weeks, media outlets have reported on the preparation and deployment of military personnel from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) to support Russia's war against Ukraine.
On Thursday, October 24, Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate confirmed the arrival of 12,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia. Some of these troops have already been relocated to the combat zone in the Kursk region.
Putin explained the rationale behind involving North Korean soldiers in combat operations.
The Financial Times noted that the Kremlin is attempting to utilize forces from this friendly state to reclaim territories captured by Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region.
In the US Congress, calls have been made for the White House to take direct military action should North Korean troops enter the conflict on the side of Russia.
Meanwhile, the European Union expressed deep concern over the deployment of North Korean troops to reinforce the Russian army.
