North Korean soldiers were spotted in occupied Mariupol and the occupied areas of the Kharkiv Oblast, the American television CNN reported, citing sources in the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian army.
The CNN interlocutor said that so-called “technical advisors” from Kim Jong Un's army appeared in occupied Mariupol (Donetsk Oblast). Their purpose here – as he said – “is unclear.” The CNN interlocutor mentioned that “North Korean soldiers were wearing Russian uniforms.” Their arrival expands the presence of the Russian ally (North Korea) along the entire front line, CNN assessed.
According to CNN, “the gathering North Korean soldiers, although wearing Russian uniforms, are separated from Russian army units.” – North Koreans are kept separately, they have their own quarters, food, music and movies – the source told CNN.
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Mariupol, UkraineSERGEI ILNITSKY/PAP/EPA
Intercepted telephone calls
North Korean soldiers were also spotted in the occupied areas of the Kharkiv Oblast. The spokesman for the Ukrainian troop group in Kharkov, Yevhen Romanov, told CNN that this is evidenced by, among other things, intercepted enemy telephone conversations.
The commander of the combined units of the Ukrainian 153rd Independent Mechanized Brigade, Nazariy Kiszak, added that the North Korean troops “are dividing into units, strengthening, gathering small units on the front line.” – They are waiting for the weather to deteriorate, because for the enemy it is the best time to start attack operations – said Kiszak.
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Attack on the general
CNN sources also reported that recent attack by Ukrainian forces using Storm Shadow missiles on Russian territory was aimed at, among others, a senior North Korean general, but it is still unclear whether he died as a result of this strike.
North Korean soldiers. Illustrative photo KCNA VIA KNS / AFP / EastNews
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian military website Defense Express wrote that Storm Shadow could have been used to attack the Russian army's command post in the Kursk Oblast. In the border region, North Korean troops support Russian forces in the fight against the Ukrainian army.
Main photo source: SERGEI ILNITSKY/PAP/EPA