North Koreans deployed alongside Russian troops to fight against Ukraine; Kremlin rejects claims as ‘fake’

North Korean military engineers have been deployed to help Russia in its invasion of Ukraine with ballistic missiles, and North Koreans operating in occupied regions of Ukraine have already been killed, alleged senior officials in Kyiv and Seoul.

A Ukrainian source told The Guardian that there are dozens of North Koreans behind Russian lines, in teams that “support launcher systems for KN-23 missiles”.

Kremlin dismisses Seoul's claim

The Kremlin on Thursday (Oct 10), dismissed the claim by South Korea that Pyongyang soldiers were fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, and called it another "fake news story".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, "This seems like yet another fake news story."

Last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Yun travelled to Russia for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin where the two men bolstered their deepening ties with a secret arms deal.

North Korea's ammunition shipments were important in allowing Russian forces to advance in a grinding war of attrition in eastern Ukraine this summer.

Ukraine's Kyiv Post reported on Friday that six North Korean military officers had been killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk a day earlier, citing intelligence sources.

Watch |Russia-Ukraine War: North Korea Slams US For Providing Military Aid To Ukraine | World DNA

South Korean Defence Minister, Kim Yong-hyun, told lawmakers that the report was probably correct.

"We assess that the occurrence of casualties among North Korean officers and soldiers in Ukraine is highly likely, considering various circumstances," he said, adding, "The issue of deploying regular troops is highly likely due to the mutual agreements that resemble a military alliance between Russia and North Korea."

Head of Ukraine's centre for countering disinformation, Lieutenant Andriy Kovalenko, took to Telegram and said that there were "small numbers of combat engineers" from North Korea in the Donetsk region combat zone.

According to experts, North Korean missiles have been deployed in Ukraine by Russian forces, a report denied by both Moscow and Pyongyang.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)