According to Ukrainian military officials, North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were provided with counterfeit military documents containing Russian names and birthplaces, as part of Russia’s alleged attempt to hide the presence of foreign fighters in combat. Ukraine’s special operations forces reported on Sunday that they had eliminated three North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region and confiscated their falsified documents. The military IDs of these soldiers lacked essential stamps and photos, with Russian-style patronymic names and birthplaces listed as the Republic of Tuva, a region in Russia near Mongolia. Despite this, the documents were signed in Korean, indicating the soldiers’ true origins. Ukraine accused Russia of employing various tactics to obfuscate casualties and foreign involvement in battles. Estimates from US, Ukrainian, and South Korean intelligence suggest that around 11,000 to 12,000 North Korean soldiers are present in Russia, with some participating in combat operations alongside Russian forces. Ukrainian authorities claim that over 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured in Kursk, with reports of intense fighting and casualties. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have not officially acknowledged the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. Ukrainian President Zelensky accused Russia of resorting to extreme measures to conceal the losses of North Korean soldiers, including burning their bodies. Reports and footage purportedly showing North Korean casualties have emerged, shedding light on the situation despite efforts to obscure their involvement.
“Then, tracked vehicles arrive and take the bodies away,” Kovalenko informed Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform. This story has been updated with additional information.
