FRIENDLY FIRE

North Korean Troops Accidentally Kill Russian Soldiers After Shooting in Wrong Direction

Ukrainian intelligence suggests at least 11,000 North Korean troops have been deployed as part of Moscow’s push to retake the Kursk region.

A captured Russian soldier claims his unit was shot at by the very same North Korean troops sent in to help them retake territory seized by the Ukrainian military. In a newly released video, published by the Daily Mail, the fighter, who has not been identified, claims he and several other soldiers, including at least ten North Koreans, were sent into the forest in the Kursk region to dig trenches when they came under attack. “During the assault, the Koreans started firing at us,” he said. “We tried to explain to them where to aim, but I think they shot two of our own,” he goes on, adding that “I decided it was better to surrender in this situation than to be killed by our own bullet[s].” Russian President Vladimir Putin has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean troops in Kursk, which was taken by Ukrainian forces in August of this year. Ukrainian intelligence, meanwhile, maintain that Pyongyang has sent up to 10,000 soldiers to bolster forces in the region. Experts say they’ve likely been deployed as cannon fodder for an upcoming offensive, given the poor level of training many of them are reported to have received.