Politics Ukraine calls for reaction to North Korea's help for Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi sees the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea as a new escalation stage in Moscow's war of aggression against his country. "We must react and take countermeasures. We must not allow the evil to increase," said Selensky in his evening video message. "If the world remains silent now and we are confronted with North Korean soldiers on the front just as regularly as we defend ourselves against drones, this will not benefit anyone in the world and will only prolong this war."

Moscow has been rejecting reports from Ukraine and South Korea, which also refer to satellite images, about the deployment of allegedly up to 12,000 soldiers from North Korea to neighboring Russia for days. There has also been no confirmation from NATO or the USA that North Korea has sent soldiers to Russia as reinforcements.

However, Russia and North Korea have not only agreed on close military cooperation, but also on assistance in the event of external attacks. North Korean soldiers could therefore be deployed in the defense of the Russian region of Kursk, which has been invaded by Ukrainian troops. The Ukrainian army has occupied dozens of locations in the Kursk region since the beginning of August in order to counter the Russian invaders in their war of aggression with their own conquests.

Warning of "dangerous cooperation"

Selensky spoke of a "vicious alliance" and "dangerous cooperation" between Russia and North Korea. "Unfortunately, instability and threats could increase significantly as soon as North Korea learns the tactics of modern warfare," he emphasized. Ukraine's allies would have to have an answer ready, as another state was now a participant in the war and this would become a new threat. Until now, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has primarily relied on the neighboring Ukrainian state of Belarus as a deployment zone for his war.

The war must be ended fairly and as quickly as possible, said Selensky. He also once again accused Iran of supplying drones for the war against his country in a "criminal alliance" with Russia. Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has counted more than 6,000 drone attacks. The Ukrainians have been defending themselves against the Russian war of aggression with Western military aid for almost 1,000 days.

Ukraine rocked by fraud and corruption scandal

Following a major case of fraud and corruption in the judiciary and healthcare system, even by Ukrainian standards, Zelensky also announced a special meeting of the National Security and Defense Council in his video message. In the western Ukrainian region of Khmelnytskyi, authorities had launched an investigation into almost 50 public prosecutors who had allegedly bought themselves a disabled status in order to avoid going to war, for example.

When something like this happens, the country does not need external enemies, said Selenskyj. "This is really an internal enemy." He called on the secret service and the general prosecutor's office to take firm action. The scandal shook the country after an investigative journalist made the machinations public.

In bed with bundles of dollars

According to the media report, the public prosecutors probably also received disability pensions. According to the report, some had already obtained this classification before the start of the war because it made it more difficult for them to be dismissed and receive preferential treatment for promotions.

The scandal was triggered by the arrest of the head of the medical-social expert commission for assessing degrees of disability in the Khmelnytskyi region at the beginning of October. The woman, who sat on the regional council for Zelenskyi's party, is said to have classified thousands of Ukrainians as disabled and unfit for military service in exchange for bribes.

The equivalent of over five million euros in cash was confiscated during house searches. Millions more were discovered in accounts abroad and elsewhere. The doctor's son also managed the pension fund in the region and was therefore responsible for the payment of special pensions. A photo showed him lying on a bed with bundles of dollars. The investigations launched are not to be limited to the public prosecutor's office in the Khmelnytskyi region, but will also extend to other public prosecutor's offices.

Corruption widespread in Ukraine

According to the non-governmental organization Transparency International, Ukraine, which is striving to join the EU and NATO, is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe after Russia. In the course of the Russian war of aggression, which has been going on for more than two and a half years, scandals have been uncovered time and again, not least involving the military.

Following the Russian invasion in February 2022, mobilization was ordered in Ukraine. Men of military age between 18 and 60 are only allowed to leave the country in exceptional cases. In contrast, people who have been invalided out due to a disability can leave the country just as freely as their sole carers.