North Korea has deployed the first contingent of 1,500 soldiers of its special forces to Vladivostok in the Russian Far East and will soon send more, the intelligence agency of South Korea said today.

South Korea’s intelligence agency was aware from 8 to 13 (October) that North Korea transferred its special forces to Russia on a Russian navy transport ship, confirming the start of North Korea’s military involvement in the Ukraine war, it said in a statement, releasing detailed satellite images.

Yesterday, Volodymyr Zelensky said thousands of North Korean soldiers are preparing to fight for Russia in Ukraine, and some North Korean officers have already been deployed there.

“We have information from our intelligence services that some officers of the North Korean army are already in Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by Russian enemies. So they joined the Russian army,” Zelensky said during a press conference in Brussels.

The Ukrainian president said he could not give the exact number of those already on Ukrainian territory.

“We know that about 10,000 North Korean troops are preparing to be sent to fight against us, he said, describing the prospect as “the first step towards a world war.”

These include ground forces and “other technical personnel”, Zelensky said.