North Koreans in Ukraine? Some Questions Answered, Some Not

Pyongyang has supplied weapons – including missiles – to Moscow that were used against Ukraine, though whether it has sent personnel to fight in Ukraine remains unclear.

While there has been concrete evidence that North Korean weapons were used in Ukraine, reports of personnel being sent – civilian workers and military personnel alike – were thus far only backed by official statements from Ukraine and South Korea.

Here’s what we know so far.

Weapon supplies

Russia‘s use of North Korean artillery shells and rockets could be traced back as early as 2023, with subsequent reports indicating that they were actively used against Ukraine.

• In November 2023, Russian soldiers posted videos on social media thanking North Korea for the new rockets, and photos of artillery shells recently shipped from North Korea. Milbloggers also reportedly retrieved field manuals that showed the required range corrections by using different charges for some projectiles.
• Milbloggers have also posted images of Russia’s Stalin-era towed howitzers being fed with non-standard 130mm ammunition in Ukraine the markings of which indicate they came from Pyongyang, as per a June Kyiv Post report.
• United Nations sanctions monitors issued a report concluding that Russia used a North Korean Hwasong-11 series missile during a Jan. 2 strike on Kharkiv.
• Defense Express also established that, based on the marking on the missile fragment, a North Korean ballistic missile was used in the July 31 strike on Ukraine’s Kyiv region.

The photos and videos corroborated earlier reports from Washington and Ukrainian intelligence of Pyongyang’s arms deliveries to Russia.

The mutual military pact Russian President Vladimir Putin signed with Pyongyang in June this year likely further consolidated Pyongyang’s weapon supplies to Russia. 

Alleged personnel supplies

Comments and speculations of Pyongyang sending workers and military engineers – and troops, more recently – have been circulating for some time, though all originated from accounts from various interviewees and officials, with no physical evidence publicly available to sustain the claims thus far.

Civilian workers for reconstruction in Donbas

In April, Seoul-based publication on North Korean affairs NK Daily, citing unnamed informants in North Korea, said Pyongyang had sent 150 workers to Ukraine’s Donbas region to help with Moscow’s reconstruction efforts after concluding that it was safe to do so. It said the plans were drawn as early as 2022. This report predates Pyongyang and Moscow’s mutual military pact.

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Alleged engineering unit deployments

In June, Kyiv Post reported that Pyongyang decided to send a military engineering unit to support Russian forces on the ground in the Donetsk region.

However, upon further examination, Kyiv Post assessed it was a misquote from a June 25 Pentagon press briefing, where a journalist in attendance said: “And as part of the North Korea and Russia military alliance, the North Korean Army engineer unit would be dispatched to Donetsk, Ukraine, which remains occupied by Russia,” citing an alleged announcement by North Korea’s Central Military Commission. Kyiv Post is unable to locate the announcement.

The claim was first made on June 21 by South Korean news outlet TV Chosun, citing an unnamed government official, where it was noted that Pyongyang has also deployed military engineers overseas in the past, disguised as employees for construction companies.

Alleged reports of Pyongyang officers killed

On Oct. 3, six North Korean officers were reportedly killed with three more soldiers from Pyongyang injured during a missile strike that killed more than 20, intelligence sources told Kyiv Post at the time. The Russians were reportedly demonstrating to North Korean representatives the training of personnel for assault actions and defense.

The attack reportedly took place in an unspecified location within the Russian-occupied territories near Donetsk, but Kyiv Post is unable to independently establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged strike, nor the North Korean elements reportedly present.

That said, Seoul’s defense chief said “the occurrence of casualties among North Korean officers and soldiers in Ukraine is highly likely, considering various circumstances” in a public statement.

North Korean deserters

On Oct. 15, Ukraine’s Suspiline news outlet, citing sources from Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR), reported that 18 North Korean soldiers fled their positions somewhere on the border between the Bryansk and Kursk regions of Russia, just 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Russian troops were said to be conducting searches and attempting to cover up the incident from higher command, though HUR did not divulge how they obtained the information.

Reported sightings in Ukraine

Ukrainian partisans in occupied Mariupol have reported sightings of North Korean troops in Russian training areas – though there were no photos and videos to sustain the claims, sources have informed Kyiv Post that “the uniforms here are not Russian” while referring to the sightings.

On Oct. 13, a partisan group in Mariupol reported that North Korean military instructors appeared to be setting up training grounds near the village of Sartana, about 14 kilometers (9 miles) northeast of Mariupol. There were no photos or videos in their report.

Petro Andriushchenko, advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, also made similar claims and noted North Korean presence amidst increased Russian activities in the area. Andriushchenko later told Kyiv Post the information came from “eyewitness accounts” during an inquiry and that instructors were also present in addition to regular troops.

“There’s confirmation from our people there, but unfortunately no photos or videos – just eyewitness accounts. Plus, there are stories from the Russians. The reason for the transfer from near Donetsk is that they were hit pretty hard there.

“And it’s not just soldiers here – there are instructors. Important figures,” Andriushchenko told Kyiv Post.

When asked if there were identifiable elements that set the alleged Pyongyang troops apart, he said the alleged troops had different uniforms, and that soldiers from Russia’s Asian Buryat population were also present.

“Well, our locals aren’t just some old ladies on benches. They had the task to observe, gather information, and then verify it. So they know. And they saw Buryats as well. Also, the uniforms here are not Russian,” Andriushchenko said.

Special Buryat Battalion

HUR claimed that Russia is training 10,000 North Korean troops, 3,000 of which will form part of the “Special Buryat Battalion“ organized within the 11th separate airborne assault brigade of the Russian Armed Forces. HUR said the troops will be deployed in Russian regions bordering Ukraine to free up manpower needed for Moscow’s offensive operations.

The claim is backed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Seoul. Specifically, Seoul’s intelligence agency claimed on Friday that Pyongyang had decided to send 12,000 troops, including a special forces unit, to Ukraine. 

HUR Chief Kyrylo Budanov updated the number to 11,000 on Friday. 

If the reports are true, it is unclear how the Pyongyang troops are to be integrated into Russia’s military command structure with presumably language barriers, among other factors.

Given the similarities in appearance between North Koreans and some of Russia’s Far East ethnic minorities, including the Buryats, distinguishing one from another would also prove difficult if both wore the same uniforms.

Both Pyongyang and Moscow have dismissed the claims thus far.

Mykola Polishchuk, a Korean scholar who has been the vice-president of the NGO “Ukraine-DPRK Society” since 1999, told Kyiv Post that more evidence is needed to ascertain the claims.

“Since there is no confirmation of the presence of North Korean units [on the ground], it’s too soon to talk about thousands of North Korean soldiers at the front. Remember, we were recently told about ten thousand engineering troops from North Korea, but that was never confirmed.

“Integrating the military of one state into another’s army is a complex process – it’s not the same as hiring mercenaries to fill gaps. So, we must wait and see how things develop and remain calm,” said Polishchuk.