"Who Are the North Korean Troops?" Russian Military's 'Friendly Forces Identification' Leaflet

Radio Free Asia, "Issuance of Fake IDs to North Korean Troops Deployed in Russia"

The Russian military reportedly distributed leaflets printed with the faces of North Korean soldiers and Russian ethnic minorities, instructing troops to "distinguish friend from foe."

On the 5th, Radio Free Asia reported that the Russian military distributed so-called 'friend identification leaflets.' The leaflet released by Radio Free Asia features the phrase "Distinguish friend from foe!" in Russian at the top, with photos of four men below. Under the photos, from the top left, it is labeled ▲Korean (North Korean soldier) ▲Yakut ▲Buryat ▲Tuvan.

'Friendly Forces Identification Leaflet' reportedly distributed by Russian forces. Photo by Radio Free Asia

The media speculated that Russia distributed these leaflets to its troops to differentiate between North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia and Russian ethnic minorities who have similar appearances.

Jonas Oman, head of the Lithuanian NGO 'Blue-Yellow,' which supports the Ukrainian military, told Radio Free Asia that the leaflet was "received through the Ukrainian military" and that "it was distributed today by Russian forces in the Kursk region."

Earlier, the organization claimed that North Korean soldiers first engaged with Ukrainian forces in the Russian Kursk region on the 25th of last month, with all but one killed. They also stated that the surviving North Korean soldier captured as a prisoner possessed documents identifying himself as Buryat. The Buryats, included in the newly released leaflet, are Mongolic indigenous people residing in the Russian Republic of Buryatia. There has been speculation that Russia issued identification cards from this region to North Korean soldiers to disguise them as Russian citizens.

The Kursk region, located in southwestern Russia bordering Ukraine, has been a fierce battleground since August, with Ukrainian forces entering, occupying parts of the territory, and engaging Russian troops.

On the 4th (local time), U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated at a briefing, "(Secretary of State Tony Blinken) said last week that 8,000 North Korean soldiers went to Kursk, but now we estimate that up to 10,000 North Korean soldiers have gone to Kursk." On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also announced in a speech that "11,000 North Korean soldiers are stationed in Kursk, Russian mainland, which is more than initially estimated."