Six North Korean Officers Eliminated in Missile Strike in Donetsk Region, Says Intel

More than 20 soldiers were killed in a missile strike on October 3 targeting Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk, including six North Korean officers who were there to meet with their Russian counterparts, according to intelligence sources from the Kyiv Post.

Additionally, three more North Korean servicemen were reported injured.

Reports from Russian social media indicated that, prior to the strike, Russian forces were showcasing personnel training for offensive and defensive operations to the North Korean representatives.

Last year, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) noted the arrival of a limited number of North Korean servicemen in the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine, including engineering units, suggesting ongoing cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

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

Furthermore, after a meeting in June this year with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russian President Vladimir Putin encouraged his counterpart to establish “diplomatic missions in Donetsk and Luhansk.”

The CNR assessed that North Koreans were invited to help address the labor shortage caused by the Kremlin's ongoing war in Ukraine.