Recent reports indicated that North Korean troops are fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. Now, there are reports that several North Korean soldiers have already deserted the front lines.
On Sunday, Oct. 13, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed recent reports of North Korea supporting Russia’s war effort. On Wednesday, Oct. 16, it was revealed that 18 soldiers from North Korea have reportedly fled the Russian front line just four miles from the Ukrainian border.
Russian fighters are now reportedly searching for the deserters and trying to hide it from “higher ups.” Efforts to find the North Korean troops come as a Ukrainian military official told The Washington Post last week that “several thousand” soldiers from North Korea are training in Russia.
Ukrainian media reported on Tuesday, Oct. 15, that North Korean combatants were forming a special group to span Siberia as well as northern Mongolia and China.
Meanwhile, Kyiv outlets reported on Oct. 3 that six North Korean officers were killed and three injured in a strike by Ukraine against Russian forces near the Donetsk region.
Pyongyang and Moscow deepened ties this summer after signing a treaty and vowing to defend each other if one of the countries is attacked.
