Burning Faces and Outdated Gear: Shocking Claims About North Korean Troops in Ukraine Conflict

A little-known unit of the Ukrainian armed forces that calls itself "Khorne Group" have posted what they claim is footage of North Korean troops on the frontline. The footage is allegedly from the Kursk region of Russia, which Ukrainian forces entered in August of this year.

Russian "Orcs"

The Khorne Group is a surveillance and target acquisition battery attached to Ukraine's 116^th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

Khorne is a reference to one of the Chaos gods of the fictional Warhammer universe, produced by Games Workshop. In the setting Khorne is the god of murder and war. Their telegram channel declares them to be "Warhammer fans against russian [sic] orcs".

The group declared North Korean soldiers to be fit and brave, but added that their equipment and tactics appear to be 70 years out of date.

Russia "Burning Faces" Of North Koreans To Hide ID

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia's use of North Korean troops and alleged that Russian soldiers were burning the faces dead North Koreans in order to keep their identity secret.

He said on X, X: "Even after years of war, when we thought the Russians could not get any more cynical, we see something even worse.

"Russia not only sends the North Korean troops to storm Ukrainian positions but also tries to conceal losses of these people.

"They tried to hide the presence of North Korean soldiers. It was prohibited to show their faces during training.

"The Russians attempted to erase any video evidence of their presence.

"And now, after first combats with our warriors, Russians are trying to literally burn the faces of North Korean soldiers killed in battle."

Foreign Troops In Ukraine-Russia Conflict

Although volunteers from all over the world are known to have signed up to fight on both sides of the conflict, North Korea is the only nation believed to be sending troops to fight on the frontlines, rather than simply providing training as many Western nations have.

According to South Korean intelligence, North Korea is planning on sending 12,000 troops to assist Russia. US sources claim that 3,000 North Korean troops are already in Russia.

The notoriously secretive nation has so far not commented on claims that its troops are fighting and, according to pro-Western sources, dying in potentially large number. Russian president Vladimir Putin meanwhile has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Koreans.

When questioned about video footage apparently showing North Koreans involved in the conflict, Putin referred to a recent mutual defence pact signed with North Korea, saying, "What we [Russia and North Korea] do, and how we do it, is up to us. We are in touch with our North Korean friends and we will see how this process develops."