A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) released the following press statement on August 18 entitled "The U.S. and its following forces will have to pay dearly for their irresponsible act":

Of late, Ukraine committed an extremely grave terrorist crime of killing tens of peaceful civilians and injuring hundreds through an armed invasion of the inviolable territory of Russia.

The reckless military provocations of the Zelensky puppet authorities are nothing but a last-ditch effort to bring the ever-worsening war situation under control at any cost, so as to ensure constant military support from the U.S. and the Western masters badly needed for prolonging their remaining days, and to disturb public sentiment by creating unrest within the Russian society.

The DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounces in the strongest terms the armed attack on the territory of Russia being launched by the Zelensky puppet authorities under the manipulation and support of the U.S. and the West. It is an unpardonable act of aggression and terrorism that seriously encroaches upon the territorial integrity and security of a sovereign state, mercilessly massacring peaceful civilians.

The military acts of the Zelensky puppet clique are reckless and intemperate enough to invite strong retaliation from Russia, and the stooges running amuck with the backing of their master should be eliminated without fail both militarily and physically.

The U.S. and its followers should be held fully accountable for the recent incident which threatens to expose the whole of Europe to a new all-out war.

The main culprit of the Ukrainian crisis, namely the U.S., is now getting more hell-bent on arms support, going so far as to describe the atrocities of the Ukrainian armed villains as "legitimate military actions pursuant to the right to self-defence", knowing too well that the villains are killing innocent inhabitants and destroying peaceful villages in Russia.

The U.S. and its followers are trying to mislead the public opinion, acting as if they have nothing to do with the recent incident. However, various heavy hardware including tanks being identified as American or European-made in the Kursk battlefield every day, clearly indicates who are standing behind Ukraine.

The present situation is an inevitable outcome of the vicious anti-Russia confrontation policy and acts on the part of the U.S. and the West who are recklessly driving the Zelensky puppet authorities into the proxy war with Russia by providing them with astronomical amounts of lethal hardware, doing serious harm to the sovereignty and security interests of Russia. As a result, the global security environment is being driven to the threshold of the third world war.

Time will prove the dangerous implications and due consequences of the ignorant acts of the U.S. that is driving the Kiev authorities into a proxy war until one last Ukrainian is left, lost in a pipe dream of dealing a strategic defeat to Russia at any cost.

Those who commit irresponsible and intrepid acts are bound to pay a dear price for them, and the provocateurs will be doomed to due retaliation.

The U.S. and its followers should seriously reconsider the catastrophic disaster to be entailed by the self-destructive military provocations perpetrated by the Zelensky puppet clique and will have to be held totally accountable for that.

We have not the slightest doubt that the brave army and people of Russia will deal a merciless military blow to the armed invaders and attain their goal to the last in Kursk, the land of heroes that once defeated the formidable army of the Hitler fascist clique more than 80 years ago, starting a turning phase in the war.

The present Kursk battle will be a prelude to the total destruction of the Zelensky puppet clique and the strategic defeat of the U.S. and the West.

The DPRK will always stand together with the Russian Federation that has turned out valiantly in the struggle for international justice and extend invariable and strong support to the sacred war waged by the Russian army and people to defend the sovereignty and security interests of the state.