Ukraine has released a video purportedly showing North Korean recruits receiving military uniforms from Russian servicemen. Kyiv claims the footage depicts soldiers sent by Pyongyang being integrated into Moscow’s armed forces.

This video, published by Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security, comes after Kyiv's assertions that North Korea is not only supplying weapons to Russia but is also deploying personnel to support Moscow in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to Ihor Solovey, head of the centre, the video clearly shows North Koreans lining up to receive Russian military apparel, indicating direct involvement in the conflict. He described it as the first video evidence of North Korea participating alongside Russia, supervised by Russian military personnel. However, the specifics of how the video was obtained and its exact location remain undisclosed, raising questions about its context.

“We received this video from our own sources. We cannot provide additional verification from the sources who provided it to us due to security concerns,” Solovey said, as quoted by the Associated Press. He claims the video was taken by a Russian soldier.

This development follows claims made by Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukrainian military intelligence, that around 11,000 North Korean infantrymen are currently training in eastern Russia and are expected to be ready for combat by November. Budanov stated that at least 2,600 of these troops would be stationed in Russia’s Kursk region, part of which is currently threatened by Ukrainian forces. Solovey highlighted the challenges this poses for Ukraine, indicating that the introduction of new soldiers will require additional military resources to effectively counter this emerging threat.

“The emergence of any number of new soldiers is a problem because we will simply need new, additional weapons to defeat them all,” Solovey told the Associated Press. “The dissemination of this video is important as a signal to the international community that, with two countries officially at war against Ukraine, we will need more support to repel this aggression.”

The potential deployment of North Korean troops in Ukraine would further signify the growing military cooperation between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The two leaders signed a strategic partnership agreement last summer, which has already facilitated the use of North Korean weaponry in Ukraine.

On October 17, following Budanov’s initial claims, Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder declined to confirm Ukraine’s intelligence, stating that he "can't confirm whether any North Korean forces have gone to Russia."