Germany has not yet commented on DPRK’s deployment of troops to Russia: Does not have its own data to confirm
Germany is not yet ready to express its reaction to the possible sending of North Korean soldiers to the front.
This was stated at a briefing on Monday by the Deputy Spokesperson of the German Federal Government Christine Hoffmann, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform.
"For now, we do not want to speculate on this topic. We will make our reaction public at the appropriate time when such data is confirmed," Hoffmann said.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Arno Kollatz noted that the German side has no information on the transfer of North Korean soldiers to participate in hostilities against Ukraine.
"I can't confirm this at the moment... But we are, of course, monitoring the situation as much as possible in cooperation with all special services," the officer added.
German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Katrin Deschauer, in turn, noted that "this would be an escalation that Berlin condemns." The diplomat stated that Berlin and its partners have long noticed the increasingly close cooperation between Russia and the DPRK, "which takes the form of the supply of missiles and ammunition."
"We strongly urge North Korea to refrain from any form of support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. We strongly condemn such support," Deschauer said.
DPRK military in Russia
On October 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia was training ten thousand North Korean soldiers for the war in Ukraine, including infantry.
Earlier, the Washington Post wrote that several thousand soldiers from the DPRK are being trained in Russia and may be sent to the front in Ukraine.
To recap, in early October, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said that the DPRK could send its military to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in support of Russia's war against our country.
The head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, said that the information about Russia's alleged preparation of DPRK soldiers to be sent to the front in Ukraine was not true.
On October 15, the media reported that on the basis of the 11th separate airborne assault brigade of the Russian occupation army, the Russians began to form a so-called "special Buryat battalion". It will be staffed by North Korean citizens.
Subsequently, the head of the Defense Intelligence Service, Kyrylo Budanov, said that nearly 11,000 soldiers from North Korea are currently training in eastern Russia to fight against Ukraine. They will be ready for combat as early as November 1.
At the same time, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said that the United States has not yet confirmed that North Korea is sending troops to Russia.
South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul because of the DPRK's participation in the war against Ukraine.
It was reported that eighteen North Korean soldiers had already escaped from the Russian army positions on the border of Ukraine with Bryansk and Kursk regions.
Later it became known that they had been detained.
