The Lithuanian NGO “Blue-Yellow” led by Jonas Oman has claimed that North Korean soldiers dispatched to support Russia engaged in their first skirmish with Ukrainian forces last week, resulting in the death of all but one, who carried identification as a Buryat. This incident reportedly occurred on October 25 in Kursk, as stated in an interview with Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT. The survivor allegedly had identification from the Buryatia Republic, leading to speculation that Russia might be issuing such documents to North Korean soldiers to disguise them as locals.
The Buryats are an indigenous Mongolic people residing in the Buryatia Republic of Russia, situated north of Mongolia. There’s speculation that North Korea might be prepping soldiers in Belarus through joint drills with Belarusian forces for deployment in conflicts, with signs emerging about six months ago. It’s also mentioned that the first North Korean fatality in Ukraine occurred a few months ago due to a drone attack supported by the “Blue-Yellow” NGO.
North Korea has earlier sent personnel to Russia for weapon quality management and training purposes alongside its military support. Ukrainian media previously reported that six North Korean military officers were killed by a missile strike in the Donetsk region earlier this month. Oman also noted intelligence suggesting North Korean troop movements toward Vladivostok, starting with 1,500 personnel, potentially rising to 88,000 according to intelligence data, not merely public conjecture.
Despite these claims, there is no official confirmation of battles or visual identification of North Korean soldiers in the conflict regions. Ukrainian intelligence and President Volodymyr Zelensky had anticipated the integration of North Korean troops into combat zones around late October, yet no official testimonies or verifiable sightings have surfaced.