NHK reported that a video obtained by the television station indicates that North Korean soldiers dispatched to participate in the Russia-Ukraine war may be wearing Russian military uniforms to disguise their assistance to Russia.
According to NHK, the video was obtained from a source closely related to the matter. It shows equipment believed to have been worn by a deceased North Korean soldier, including Russian military uniforms, boots, and helmets.
The soldier’s identification card bears the words “Russian Army” in Russian, along with a personal identification number.
In response to the issue of North Korean soldiers assisting Russia while wearing Russian military uniforms, Ukrainian military expert Mykhailo Samus stated that one of the purposes of Russia’s actions is to try to conceal its military cooperation with North Korea.
He said, “The Soviet Union or Russia always boasts of being a powerful country, a powerful empire, out of fear of admitting their weakness.”
In a previous report by Epoch Times, the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) released photos on December 22 last year claiming to show a North Korean soldier killed in the Kursk region, along with what they claimed to be a falsified Russian soldier’s ID uploaded simultaneously.
SSO stated on Telegram, “Russia is attempting to hide the presence of North Korean military personnel (within the Russian forces) by issuing falsified documents to the North Koreans.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously cited video evidence that Russian soldiers were burning the faces of deceased North Korean soldiers to conceal their identities and protect the secret of their assistance to Russia.
On December 23 last year, he also stated that over 3,000 North Korean soldiers assisting Russia had been killed or injured. He warned that North Korea might increase personnel and weapons support to Russia.
According to Kyiv Independent, Russia has deployed approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. The confirmed first battle between Ukrainian forces and North Korean soldiers assisting Russia took place on November 5 last year.