North Korean officers among casualties in Donetsk missile strike

Over 20 soldiers were killed as a result of a missile attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on a Russian military facility near Donetsk, reports the "Kyiv Post," citing Ukrainian intelligence sources. Among the dead were six officers from North Korea, and three more were injured.

According to the "Kyiv Post," the attack occurred on October 3. Just before the strike, representatives from the Russian Ministry of Defense were reportedly demonstrating to the North Korean visitors the preparation of Russian military personnel for offensive and defensive operations.

Among the 20 soldiers killed in the Ukrainian missile attack on territory occupied by Russia near Donetsk were six officers from North Korea, according to intelligence sources. Three more North Korean soldiers were injured.

On June 19, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a bilateral strategic partnership agreement. According to the agreement, Russia and North Korea commit to mutual assistance in the event of aggression against either country. Putin stated the document also permits military-technical cooperation, although UN sanctions currently prohibit this.

According to South Korean intelligence, in the summer of 2022, North Korea began supplying arms to Russia at Putin's request due to military failures in Ukraine. From North Korea to Russia, nearly 5,000 metric tonnes (about 5,500 Canadian tons) of artillery shells and ballistic missiles were sent.

South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said that in response, Moscow started supplying tanks, aircraft, and technology for North Korea's satellite spy program.

According to "The Washington Post," from August 2023 to January 2024, North Korea supplied Russia with about 1.6 million artillery shells. It was added that from two Far Eastern ports, a total of 74,000 metric tonnes (approximately 81,500 Canadian tons) of explosives were delivered to 16 settlements on the border with Ukraine.

In an article for the newspaper Nodong Sinmun (Workers’ Newspaper) published on June 18, Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude for North Korea's support in conducting a "special military operations" in Ukraine, assuring that "Russia has incessantly supported and will support the DPRK and the heroic Korean people in their struggle against the treacherous, dangerous and aggressive enemy."

On June 20, Putin declared that Russia does not plan to involve North Korean soldiers in the war with Ukraine, emphasizing that there is no such need. However, by June 27, information emerged about North Korea's intent to send engineering troops to territories in Ukraine occupied by Russia. According to the South Korean government, Moscow promised to pay for this assistance.

The Pentagon, commenting on these reports, stated that North Korean troops sent to Ukraine would become "cannon fodder." Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder noted: “If I were North Korean military personnel management, I would be questioning my choices on sending my forces to be cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine.”