Russia attempting to cover North Korean losses in Ukraine battle, Zelensky claims

The Russian navy is making an attempt to cover the losses of North Korean troopers preventing within the battle in opposition to Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on Dec. 16.

Zelensky's remarks got here after Ukraine's navy intelligence company (HUR) and the U.S. Pentagon on Dec. 16 reported that North Korean troops suffered casualties in assault operations alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast.

"Russia will not be solely involving North Korean troopers in assaults on Ukrainian positions, however can also be attempting to cover the losses of those individuals," Zelensky said through his official Telegram channel.

The Russian navy has tried to maintain the presence of North Korean items secret all through their coaching and deployment, Zelensky stated. He additionally claimed that Moscow has resorted to excessive ways to disguise the identities of North Korean troopers killed in fight.

Russia tries to "burn the faces" of North Korean troopers after they’re killed, Zelensky alleged. His publish shared a video purportedly displaying Russian personnel setting hearth to the our bodies of North Korean fighters on the entrance line.

The Kyiv Impartial couldn’t verify Zelensky's declare or the veracity of the video.

"There is no such thing as a motive for Koreans to combat and die for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," Zelensky stated.

"And even after their deaths, all that awaits them from Russia is mockery."

Pentagon spokesperson Main Basic Patrick Ryder confirmed on Dec. 16 that North Korean personnel had engaged in combat operations alongside Russian troops in Kursk Oblast and suffered their first casualties.

The affirmation got here after Zelensky reported on Dec. 14 that North Koreans were participating in Russian assaults within the Kursk area.

Ukraine's navy intelligence has claimed {that a}t least 30 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded on the Kursk entrance.

Ukrainian and Western officers issued warnings in fall 2024 that over 10,000 North Korean troops had amassed in Kursk Oblast, prepared to assist Russia's try to oust Ukrainian forces after Kyiv launched a shock incursion within the area in August.

The first clashes between North Korean and Ukrainian troops in Kursk Oblast had been reported in early November.

Zelensky and Western officers have accused Russia of dramatically escalating the battle in opposition to Ukraine by involving a international state within the battle.

North Korean troops suffer casualties in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Pentagon saysNorth Korean troops have joined combat operations in the Kursk Oblast, marking the first confirmed engagement of North Korean soldiers alongside Russian military, Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder said on Dec. 16.The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy