Video released by Ukraine purports to show North Korean soldiers in Russia

Kyiv, Ukraine – A video purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues and equipment is intended to intimidate Ukrainian forces and mark a new chapter in the two-and-a-half-year war by bringing another country into the mix, Ukrainian officials said.

In the video, which was reviewed by the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, which is under the Ministry of Culture and Information, North Korean soldiers are believed to be lining up to pick up bags, clothes and other items of clothing from Russian soldiers. The Associated Press could not independently verify the video.

“We received this video from our own sources. For security reasons, we cannot provide additional evidence from the sources that provided it to us,” said Ihor Solovey, head of the center.

“The video clearly shows North Korean citizens receiving Russian uniforms at the direction of the Russian military,” he said. “For Ukraine, this video is important because it is the first video evidence showing that North Korea is participating in the war on the side of Russia. Now not only with weapons and grenades, but also with personnel.”

The center claims the recordings were made by a Russian soldier in recent days. The location is unknown.

This came after Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said in local media reports that about 11,000 North Korean infantrymen were currently training in eastern Russia. He predicted they would be ready to join the fighting by November. At least 2,600 would be sent to Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an invasion in August, he was quoted as saying.

“The emergence of any number of new soldiers is a problem because we simply need new, additional weapons to destroy them all,” Solovey told the AP. “The distribution of this video is important as a signal to the global community that we are with two countries. Since we are officially at war with Ukraine, we will need more support to repel this aggression.”

If the presence of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine is true, it would be further evidence of the intensification of military relations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Last summer they signed a strategic partnership agreement that obliges both countries to provide military assistance. North Korean weapons have already been used in the Ukraine war.