North Korean officers killed in missile strike in Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian intel sources say

Recent reports suggest that North Korean military officials may have been killed in a Ukrainian missile strike near occupied Donetsk City, potentially indicating a deeper level of foreign involvement on the Russian side in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.

According to unspecified sources in Ukraine’s intelligence community, as reported by the Kyiv Post, a Ukrainian missile strike on 3 October near occupied Donetsk City resulted in the deaths of 20 Russian soldiers, including six unidentified North Korean officers. The Kyiv Post sources claim these officers “came to confer with their Russian counterparts.” Additionally, three other North Korean soldiers were reportedly injured in the attack.

The Kyiv Post, citing Russian social media posts, reported that before the missile strike, Russian forces were demonstrating personnel training for assault and defensive actions to North Korean representatives.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) stated that it cannot independently confirm the presence of North Korean military officials in occupied Donetsk City. The think tank, however, noted that this report aligns with previous unconfirmed information from June 2024, which suggested North Korea planned to dispatch a large-scale engineering force to occupied Donetsk Oblast as early as July 2024.

Furthermore, the ISW referenced reports from July 2024 indicating that a delegation from North Korea’s Kim Il Sung Military University visited Russia, “which against the backdrop of deepening bilateral relations, suggests that the North Korean military likely intends to learn from the Russian military’s experience in the war in Ukraine,” ISW says.

Ukraine seldom uses Anglo-French Storm Shadow/Scalp missiles due to limited supplies. Yesterday, multiple Ukrainian military Telegram channels shared a video reportedly showing an attack involving these missiles on railway infrastructure or Russian command posts in occupied Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast. The footage possibly depicts the attack referenced by Kyiv Post sources, not disclosing the precise location.

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