Following widespread reports of North Korean forces joining the fight against Ukrainians, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian troops are burning the faces of deceased North Korean soldiers to conceal their losses.
In his Telegram message on 16 December, Zelenskyy said:
“Even after years of war, when it seems Russians couldn’t be more cynical, we still see something worse. Russia not only involves North Korean soldiers in assaults against Ukrainian positions but also tries to hide these people’s losses.”
The Ukrainian president wrote that Russia attempted to keep North Korean soldiers’ presence secret, prohibiting them from showing their faces during training and trying to delete any video evidence of their presence.
“And now, after battles with our boys, Russians are even trying to… literally burn the faces of killed North Korean military personnel,” Zelenskyy said, describing it as “a demonstration of contempt that now prevails in Russia – contempt for everything human.”
A clip, published by the Telegram channel Russia No Context, allegedly shows one of such incidents. However, it remains unclear how widespread these cases are.
Multiple drone videos published over the past days, showed multiple Ukrainian attacks with FPV drones and cluster munitions on reportedly Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
In his evening address on 16 December, Zelenskyy reported that Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi provided updates on the situation in Donetsk Oblast and areas of the Kursk operation, including details about North Korean forces’ involvement.
“Unfortunately, we are forced to defend against them as well, even though there is not a single reason for North Koreans to die in this war. The only reason is Putin’s madness,” Zelenskyy stated.
- Earlier, on 14 December, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence reported that joint Russian-North Korean units in Kursk Oblast had lost approximately 200 military personnel. The agency also reported that North Korean soldiers killed eight Kadyrov fighters in friendly fire incidents.
- The US Department of Defense confirmed on 16 December that North Korean troops had engaged in combat alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast for the first time and suffered casualties.
Related:
- Ukraine’s military intelligence: North Korean troops to take part in assaults very soon
- Russia to provide MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters to North Korea in exchange for troops
- US: North Korean troops stationed in Kursk yet to engage in direct combat with Ukrainian forces
- Frontline report: Ukrainian precision strike halts North Korean deployment
- Russian 810th marine brigade from occupied Crimea faces heavy losses in Kursk battles, Russian media Verstka reports
- Ukrainian drone strikes deal first blow to North Korean vehicles supporting Russian army
