The Daily Populous Monday December 16th, 2024 morning edition
Authored by kyivindependent.com and submitted by AdSpecialist6598

This audio is created with AI assistance

North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast killed eight members of a Russian unit in a "friendly fire" attack, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) claimed on Dec. 14.

Earlier in the day, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that a "significant number" of North Korean troops had joined Russian assault operations in the Kursk region.

While engaged in combat in Kursk Oblast, a group of North Korean soldiers opened fire on members of the Chechen Akhmat unit fighting for Russia, HUR reported via its official Telegram channel. The attack allegedly killed eight Russian soldiers.

The Kyiv Independent was unable to verify the report.

HUR said the incident was the result of the language barrier between Russian and North Korean troops, which continues to be a "difficult obstacle" on the battlefield.

An estimated 200 servicemembers fighting with Russian and North Korean units have been killed as of Dec. 14, HUR claimed.

Zelensky previously announced that North Korean personnel had begun incurring "noticeable losses," but did not provide a figure.

Ukrainian and Western officials in fall 2024 warned that over 10,000 North Korean troops had amassed in Kursk Oblast, ready to aid Russia's attempt to oust Ukrainian forces in the region.

The Russian military has instituted special protocols in places where North Korean personnel are located, HUR said. Russian soldiers must undergo inspections before entering these areas, and their phones and electronic devices are confiscated.

The first direct clashes between North Korean and Ukrainian troops in Kursk Oblast were reported in early November. According to Zelensky, North Korean personnel have not been deployed to any other areas of the front, but that could change in the future.

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Rylonian on December 15th, 2024 at 14:45 UTC »

This war is so pointless. It's good news on the surface and pretty damning once again for Putin and his inabilities, but at the end of the day, it's just more people getting senselessly killed for the ego of one old idiot.

There needs to be only one more killed in this war, and we all know who it should be.

BookwoodFarm on December 15th, 2024 at 14:37 UTC »

How’re they supposed to tell them apart from the bad guys? They all look alike.

alwaysfatigued8787 on December 15th, 2024 at 14:32 UTC »

North Korea should be careful. They wouldn't want to start a war.