Russian paramilitary soldiers were accidentally targeted and killed by North Korean troops during a recent friendly firefight, according to Ukrainian officials.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Service (DIU) detailed how soldiers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) had recently assisted Russian forces in the Kursk Oblast, currently occupied by Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian officials estimate that about 11,000 North Korean personnel are stationed in Russia.
“The Russian aggressor has begun using North Korean soldiers in assault operations in the Kursk region, particularly as part of a combined force of marines and airborne troops of the Russian armed forces,” the statement read.
“The Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine successfully launched fire attacks that resulted in irreparable sanitary losses for North Korean troops,” the DIU added. “In particular, at one position in the Kursk region, North Korean troops were effectively targeted by FPV drones. “
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Dragon’s teeth and barbed wire fences built to establish a defense line around Sumy, Ukraine, November 6, 2024. (Oksana Parafeniuk writes for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
In a recent incident, the DIU noted, a language barrier between Russian and North Korean troops ultimately led to the deaths of eight soldiers from the Chechen paramilitary Ahmet special forces.
“When using North Korean troops on the battlefield, language barriers remain an issue for controlling and coordinating operations,” the statement read.
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Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov (left) meets with North Korean Defense Minister Noh Kwang Chol (right) in Pyongyang, North Korea on November 29, 2024. (Russian Ministry of Defense/Vadim Savitsky/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“As a result of this issue, North Korean soldiers opened fire on vehicles belonging to the so-called Ahmed Battalion,” the DIU added. “As a result, they killed eight Kadyrovite soldiers.”
This latest development in the Russo-Ukrainian war comes as the Russian military continues Crack down on Ukraine’s power grid, Taking advantage of freezing conditions to destroy the country’s largest energy company.
This photo taken on October 18, 2023 shows North Korean soldiers waving flags to welcome Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after he arrived at Pyongyang Airport. (KIM WON JIN/AFP via Getty Images)
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According to the “Kyiv Independent” report, the Russian army launched nearly 100 missiles (including cruise missiles) and 200 drones in western Ukraine on Friday, which was one of the largest attacks on Ukraine’s power grid in history.
Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFaul contributed to this report.
