However, analysts have been quick to suggest that Ukraine may be attempting to leverage the media to bolster its position and sway global opinion against Russia in an information warfare operation.
On Sunday, the 414th Unmanned Strike Aviation Systems Regiment of Ukraine shared drone footage via its Telegram channel, allegedly showing about 20 bodies, reportedly Russian and North Korean soldiers, lying in a row after being killed in combat. The footage also depicts what appears to be a Russian military truck carrying corpses, which it later discards along a roadside after spotting a drone tracking it.
“Here the Koreans are mixed with the Russians, once again going on the attack together with the snow, like cockroaches,” read the accompanying message from the channel. It also claimed, “After each wave, 4-5 Koreans arrive on buggies to collect and line up the bodies… and to mask the faces of the dead.”
Despite the claims, the video’s poor quality and heavy snowfall obscure the bodies, making it impossible to verify if they are indeed North Korean soldiers.
The footage comes more than one month following North Korean forces reportedly started operations in Russia’s Kursk region. On Nov. 4, Reuters reported that North Korean troops had engaged in combat for the first time. The New York Times corroborated the report, stating that Russia had assembled a force of 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean personnel.
Kursk has been a fiercely contested area, with Russian forces struggling to regain control after Ukrainian counterattacks.
On Saturday, Ukraine Defense Intelligence (DIU), a military intelligence unit of Ukraine, reported that the estimated losses among units manned by both Russian and North Korean personnel totaled approximately 200. While the DIU did not specify the proportion of North Korean troops, Ukrainian officials estimate that around 11,000 North Korean personnel are currently stationed in Russia.
“North Korean troops have suffered sanitary and irreversible losses as a result of fire attacks by the Ukrainian Security and Defense Forces,” the DIU added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also addressed the issue during a speech on Saturday, saying, “We already have preliminary data that the Russians have begun to use North Korean soldiers in their assaults — a significant number of them,” without providing further details.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War supported Ukraine’s claim, noting that it is consistent with similar reports of North Korean forces engaging in attritional infantry assaults.
Pro-Russian military bloggers have also claimed North Korean involvement in the Kursk region. They reported that North Korean troops killed over 300 Ukrainian soldiers and captured a village on Dec. 6.
Military analysts remain cautious about confirming Ukraine’s claims.
“The timing could indicate an information operation,” said Yang Uk, a researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. “Given the current phase of combat, where most forces are engaged in heavy offensives, it’s not unusual to release footage of casualties and such material.”
Yang also highlighted the challenges Ukraine faces on the front lines.
“The focus on Kursk shows that Russia is reinforcing its positions with North Korean troops. For Ukraine, which needs to expand control in the region, this situation has become increasingly difficult,” he added.
BY SEO JI-EUN, HAN JEE-HYE [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]
