Kim Jong Un has sent North Korean women to fight as cannon fodder for Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.
Two of North Korea’s female soldiers were allegedly photographed in Zheleznogorsk, in the Kursk region, partially occupied by Ukraine. The image was widely shared online.
A Russian military trainer, Oleg Tanasyuk, who posted the photo, wrote: “Korean sisters Wei and Lin, we call them Vera and Lida, have already been serving with us for two weeks.” It is not clear why the Russians changed their name.
Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov reposted the photo of Kim’s fighters and commented: ‘The North Korean sisters Wei and Lin made the biggest mistake of their lives as part of the Russian occupation forces when they decided to go to Ukraine.
‘After all, the drone won’t care at all that it’s Vera and Lida now…’
Some accounts say that Russia has taken longer than expected to place the North Koreans in cannon fodder positions on its notoriously brutal front lines, but they are expected to be deployed here.
For now, the two female soldiers are believed to be about 62 miles from the Kursk region’s front line.
GUR official Andriy Chernyak said North Korean forces “probably are not yet on the front lines” but “are still contributing to the aggression… and the killings.”
Two of North Korea’s female soldiers were allegedly photographed in Zheleznogorsk, in the Kursk region, partially occupied by Ukraine.
Kim Jong Un’s special forces seen here in Russia before being moved to the Kursk region
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pose for a photo during a signing ceremony for the new partnership in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2024.
The image of the two soldiers emerged at the same time as reports that North Korean troops deployed in Russia were complaining about their meager rations.
The crisis was so serious that a Russian general was sent from St. Petersburg to resolve the problem, according to Ukrainian GUR military intelligence.
“Discontent has increased among soldiers of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) army stationed in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation due to the insufficient amount of food supplied,” the GUR stated.
Evidently, the Russian general discovered that the North Korean fighters were malnourished.
“On the spot, the Russian general ordered that the soldiers of the DPRK army receive individual rations from the food reserves of the 11th separate airborne assault brigade of the Russian Armed Forces.”
The GUR says more troops from ultra-repressive North Korea, particularly the 92nd and 94th Special Forces Brigades, are being deployed alongside Russian forces to the battle zone.
Some 12,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia, of which 2,000 are so far deployed in combat zones, Chernya said during an interview with Radio Svoboda.
Chernyak said North Korean soldiers “still contribute to aggression against Ukraine and the murder of Ukrainian service members,” the newspaper said.
The images allegedly show North Korean troops in eastern Russia undergoing training ahead of deployment with Vladimir Putin’s forces in Ukraine.
Clips purporting to show Pyongyang soldiers in training camps in Russia have been widely circulated on the Internet.
This comes after Putin gifted North Korea more than 70 animals for the Pyongyang zoo, including bears, yaks, ducks and cockatoos, as a thank you to Kim Jong Un for sending thousands of his soldiers to fight in Ukraine.
In another sign of the growing relationship between the countries, the animals were flown to Pyongyang aboard a government plane, escorted by officials and experts from the Moscow Zoo, the Russian government said Wednesday, noting that the animals were “a gift from “Vladimir Putin.” to the Korean people.”
‘Historically, animals have always played a special role in relations between states. They were given as a sign of support, kindness and care,” said Russian Minister of Natural Resources Alexander Kozlov, who traveled with the animals.
The delivery included an African lion, two bears, two domestic yaks, 25 pheasants, 40 mandarin ducks and five white cockatoos, according to the release.
Images shared by the Russian government revealed a white cockatoo traveling in a cage and Kozlov receiving a tour of the Korean zoo from local officials.