Ukraine says Russia uses fake IDs to hide N. Korean troops

Ukraine has accused Russia of deploying North Korean soldiers disguised with fake Russian IDs to hide their presence on the battlefield. According to reports, the IDs were allegedly created by Russian authorities to obscure the involvement of North Korean troops. Claims have also surfaced that Russia is heavily relying on these troops for large-scale human wave assaults aimed at regaining territory.

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces revealed on Sunday that they had killed three North Korean soldiers during intense fighting in Russia’s southwestern Kursk region. The unit displayed three military IDs recovered at the scene. The documents listed Russian names—Kim Kang Solat Albertovich, Dongk Jan Surofovich, and Belek Aganak Kapolovich—but the signature sections contained Korean names, written in varying handwriting: Ri Dae-hyuk, Jo Chul-ho, and Bang Guk-jin.

Ukrainian officials noted that standard Russian military IDs include a photo of the holder and an official seal from the issuing authority, both of which were missing from these documents. Additionally, all three IDs listed the soldiers' birthplace as the Tuva Republic, the hometown of former Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces alleged that Russia is attempting to cover up battlefield losses and obscure the presence of North Korean troops.

The Ukrainian media outlet Euromaidan Press reported that Russia is using North Korean soldiers in human wave tactics to regain control of the Kursk region. Despite suffering hundreds of casualties, these strategies reportedly remain unchanged.

Eyewitness accounts have raised concerns over the conduct of North Korean troops. "North Korean soldiers shot our men in the legs during training exercises, and one instructor was hit in the stomach," said a Russian prisoner-of-war testimony reported by RBC. “They indiscriminately shoot down anything flying—whether it’s a Ukrainian drone or one of our own.”


이기욱 기자 71wook@donga.com