The US is “concerned” about reports of North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine

U.S. officials said Tuesday they were “concerned” about reports of North Korean soldiers fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine.

This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused North Korea of ​​sending soldiers to the Russian military and said its intelligence services had informed him of “North Korea’s actual involvement in the war” in Ukraine.

The briefing came a week after Seoul’s Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun told South Korean politicians that it was “highly likely” that six North Korean officers had been killed in a recent Ukrainian missile attack on Donetsk.

Despite the reports, Russia has dismissed the allegations as “fake news.”

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Still, officials in the U.S. are taking note of the reports.

“We are concerned about reports from the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] Soldiers fighting on behalf of Russia, which, if true, would represent a significant expansion of defense relations between the DPRK and Russia,” said Lt. Col. Charlie Dietz, a Defense Department spokesman. “Such a move would also indicate a new level of desperation for Russia, which continues to suffer significant battlefield losses in its brutal war against Ukraine.”

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also weighed in on Tuesday, echoing Dietz.

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A Ukrainian tank (Reuters/Lisi Niesner)

“We are concerned about reports of North Korean soldiers fighting on behalf of Russia,” Miller said. “If that is true, it would mean a significant intensification of the relationship between these two countries, the relationship that you have seen in recent months. It would also signal a new level of desperation on Russia’s part as it continues to suffer significant losses.”

Washington claims North Korea has supplied Russia with ammunition and ballistic missiles, although Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the arms shipments. But the two countries have not denied this, instead promising to strengthen military ties, which could include joint exercises.

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Ruins of residential buildings are shown after a Russian military attack in Vuhledar, Ukraine. (Reuters/Yevhen Titov)

Russia and North Korea have deepened their relations since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The two nuclear powers signed a defense pact in June when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea.

Both Russia and Ukraine have resorted to foreign fighters as the number of their able-bodied men dwindles.

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North Korea has recently stepped up production and testing of artillery and cruise missiles.

In March, Russia used its veto power on the United Nations Security Council to end oversight of North Korea’s violations of a ban on testing ballistic technology.

Liz Friden and Morgan Phillips of Fox News, Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.