The likely presence of North Korean troops in Russia is a sign of President Vladimir Putin’s “desperation” and could trigger a wider global conflict, the UK and German defence ministers warned.
Defence Secretary John Healey said it was “highly likely” there were North Korean troops in Russia but it was not yet clear whether they were being sent to the front line of the war with Ukraine.
He said that as well as being an escalation of the war in Europe, there was also an “indivisible link” with tensions in the Korean peninsula and the wider Pacific region.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius said “we are checking the implications with regard to international law” of the development but “it is a kind of escalation”.
He said it was not clear how many troops were involved – estimates range from 1,500 to 12,000 – or what kind of personnel they were.
At a joint press conference with Mr Healey in London, Mr Pistorius warned: “International conflicts are approaching very rapidly.
“North Korea delivering, providing ammunition, weapons to Russia.
“Russia providing… technical systems and oil and gas and so on, does have an impact, for example, for the security of South Korea.
“North Korean actions have an impact on the North Korean and Chinese relationship.”
That had a knock-on effect for relationships between China, Russia and India, he suggested.
I see this as a sign of desperation, as well as a shocking escalation on North Korea's part, desperation from Putin that he's having to reach out and develop a growing alliance of aggression with a country like North Korea
“So we see international conflicts are getting more and more closer to each other and linked to each other,” Mr Pistorius said, which made it harder to de-escalate tensions and conflicts.
Mr Healey said both the UK and Germany condemned the move by Pyongyang as a “potential escalation”.
The Defence Secretary said: “It looks highly likely that North Korean troops have been deployed into Russia.
“It is certainly not clear yet that they’ve been deployed to the battlefront.
“We know that North Korea have been providing weapons and ammunition to Russia.
“I see this as a sign of desperation, as well as a shocking escalation on North Korea’s part, desperation from Putin that he’s having to reach out and develop a growing alliance of aggression with a country like North Korea.”
He added: “This is not just a concern about the potential for an escalation of conflict in Europe.
“There is an indivisible link with security concerns in the Indo-Pacific as well.”
Speaking later in Parliament, former military chief Lord Stirrup said: “We read and hear a lot about the military pressure that Russia is exerting on Ukraine, but are not the increasing numbers of North Koreans involved in the conflict along with the widening of the pool of prisoners from which Russia is seeking to recruit soldiers evidence that the pressure is far from one-sided?”
The independent crossbencher, who served as head of the armed forces from 2006 to 2010, added: “Does this not underscore the importance of sustained resolve on the part of the West?”
In response, foreign minister Baroness Chapman of Darlington agreed and added: “The defence of Ukraine is the defence of Europe.”
She told peers: “This is further evidence of Russia’s hypocrisy, its recklessness and its absolute disregard for international peace and security.”
