"It will be like with Crimea": Zelenskyy blames partners for lack of reaction to DPRK's participation in the war with Ukraine. Video

The Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin will use them as cannon fodder, which will allow him to partially save Russian manpower and avoid mobilization in Russia. In addition, in this way, he is testing the West's reaction to his actions, and if it is the same as during the seizure of Crimea, the aggressor will go further, increasing the North Korean contingent.

This forecast was voiced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with the South Korean TV channel KBS. In particular, he blamed his partners in the West for their "zero" reaction to the DPRK army's involvement in the war against Ukraine.

"To tell you frankly, I think it will be the same as with Crimea when the West and various partners did not react to Putin's occupation of our Crimean peninsula ten years ago. There were no loud steps, except for very quiet statements. And then Putin launched a full-scale invasion. It's the same with the North Korean contingent," Zelenskyy reminded.

Zelenskyy pointed out that the dictator is testing the world's reaction to his actions.

"Putin is testing the reaction of the West. Putin is testing the reaction of NATO countries. Putin is also testing the reaction of South Korea. And I believe that after all these reactions, Putin will decide to increase the contingent. Today, like a sapper in a minefield, he is testing what will happen if he uses this contingent. And then, if nothing happens, and I think the reaction that we have today is nothing, it's zero – then the number of DPRK troops on our land will be increased," the president predicted.

He also said that in the absence of a proper response from the West, it would not be just a "contingent" of DPRK troops, but in fact "two armies of two states against one army of Ukraine."

According to Zelenskyy, if North Korean soldiers are captured, they will be exchanged for captured Ukrainians.

"It is absolutely clear that Russia will take further escalation steps. The involvement of the North Korean military, both officers and soldiers, is the next step, which Russia does not even hide. And sometimes they are even proud to have such allies," the Ukrainian leader said.

He also said that three thousand DPRK troops are already in the training camp and their number will soon be increased to 12 thousand.

"There is also a separate agreement on the supply of engineer troops and a large number of civilians from North Korea to work at certain military plants in Russia," Zelenskyy said.

When asked whether there had been any clashes with the North Koreans in the Kursk region, he replied:

"No, not yet. They will be. This is a matter of days, not months. ... Of course, these people will die. Of course, they will do everything to make sure that more North Korean soldiers die, which means that they will push them forward more than Russians. Putin is afraid of mobilization within his own country very much. This hurts his rating because most people within the state do not support mobilization. They can only shout at Ukrainians from the couch, but they don't really want to fight."

Zelenskyy added: "North Korea today is a way out for Putin. This is also very beneficial for the DPRK leader, as his army currently has no combat experience.

At the same time, according to the President, ten thousand military personnel from North Korea cannot psychologically influence Ukraine.

"First of all, this is an important element for Putin. To show that he is not alone in this war and that he has allies. Not to conduct additional mobilization of the Russian military if it is possible to use citizens of another state. This is exactly why he is doing this," Zelenskyy explained.