Recent reports from the Ukrainian military have shed light on the presence of North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia with fake military documents. According to Ukraine's special operations forces, three North Korean soldiers were killed in Russia's Kursk region, and their documents were seized. These documents, lacking official stamps and photos, bore Russian names and birthplaces, with Korean signatures indicating the soldiers' true origin.
US, Ukrainian, and South Korean intelligence estimates suggest that there are between 11,000 to 12,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia, some of whom have been involved in combat operations alongside Russian forces. The Ukrainian offensive in August led to the recovery of parts of Kursk, where North Korean troops have reportedly suffered heavy losses.
Despite the casualties, neither Moscow nor Pyongyang have officially acknowledged the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of attempting to conceal the losses of North Korean soldiers on the battlefield, alleging extreme tactics such as burning the faces of fallen soldiers.
Recent footage shared by a Ukrainian drone unit purportedly shows the bodies of over 20 North Korean soldiers in an icy field. Lt. Andri? Kovalenko of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council highlighted efforts to conceal the involvement of North Koreans in operations, with bodies being quickly evacuated by tracked vehicles.
The situation underscores the complex dynamics at play in the conflict, with allegations of foreign fighters being used to bolster Russian forces while attempts are made to obscure their presence and casualties.
