Six officers from North Korea were among the 20 soldiers killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk, on October 3, 2024, intelligence sources say.

More than 20 soldiers were killed as a result of an Oct. 3 missile strike on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk, including six officers from North Korea, who came to confer with their Russian counterparts, Kyiv Post’s intelligence sources said. Three more North Korean servicemen were wounded.

According to reports from Russian social media, prior to the missile strike, the Russians were demonstrating to North Korean representatives the training of personnel for assault actions and defense.

Last year, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported the arrival of a limited contingent of servicemen from North Korea to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, including units of engineering troops, indicating active cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

The Center for National Resistance (CNR) reported in September 2023 that Russia was planning to bring North Korean citizens to the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk for construction work.

Moreover, Russian President Vladimir Putin, after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June of this year, persuaded his counterpart from Pyongyang to open “diplomatic missions in Donetsk and Luhansk.”

The CNR assessed that the North Koreans were invited to ensure the supply of labor in these regions, as the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine has resulted in a labor shortage throughout Russia and the occupied territories. – Kyiv Post