KAZAN, October 23. /TASS/. Kiev’s hoaxes about the alleged North Korean forces fighting on Russia’s side could be used as a pretext for an introduction of NATO troops to Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.

"I don’t believe in [the participation of North Korean forces in the conflict]. Most importantly, that would be a pretext to openly introduce NATO forces at a full scale to Ukraine. Because [the West] understands that Volodya Zelensky is exhausted. There are no people to keep fighting. And admitting defeat would be totally unacceptable," he said in an interview on the Rossiya-1 TV channel. "This concerns me in regards to whether [the West] plans to send someone from the other side - if not Koreans, then Poles or the French - from Volodya Zelensky. So these conversations should be treated very seriously and should be followed."

Lukashenko underscored that mercenaries from NATO countries, financed by governments of NATO member states, have long been fighting in Ukraine.