North Korean soldiers flee Russian ranks amid Ukraine conflict
Moscow has created a "special Buryat battalion" composed of North Koreans, reports Ukrainska Pravda. According to the portal, 18 such soldiers have already fled from positions on the border of the Bryansk and Kursk regions.
Sources on the portal within Ukrainian intelligence claim that the Korean soldiers were stationed about 6 kilometres from the front. Their motives for fleeing remain unknown. Russian services have already started searching for the deserters, says a source for Ukrainska Pravda.
It is also reported that the Russians are trying to conceal this information from their higher command.
The reports of North Korean soldiers appearing in the Kursk region have been confirmed by the UNIAN agency, citing its own sources within Ukrainian intelligence.
Koreans on the front line. Sources confirm
On Tuesday, Ukrainska Pravda shared information about Moscow's creation of a "special Buryat battalion" composed of North Korean citizens. This unit is said to operate within the Russian army.
The unit's size is estimated to be about 3,000 people. According to Ukrainian sources, the soldiers are operating in the Sudzha area of the Kursk region.
Russian media has also covered reports of tightening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. On Monday, they reported that Vladimir Putin submitted to the Russian parliament a bill for the ratification of a strategic partnership with North Korea. The bill includes a provision for "military assistance," which the media linked to reports about plans to deploy North Korean soldiers to Ukraine.
