SBU Releases Intercepted Call Data of Russian Nurse
"North Korean Soldiers Receiving Special Treatment"
"They All Look the Same, Hard to Distinguish"
Amid reports that hundreds of North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia have been casualties, the Ukrainian side claimed that medical staff at a Russian hospital treating injured North Korean soldiers have expressed complaints.
On the 19th (local time), the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) released intercepted phone call recordings on its official Telegram channel from a nurse working at a hospital in Moscow where wounded North Korean soldiers were transferred. According to the content, the nurse spoke on the phone with a man presumed to be her husband, a soldier. She said, "Today, North Korean soldiers were brought to our hospital. Yesterday, there were about 100 on the train, but today 120 arrived," adding, "Already 200 have come. I don't know how many more will come." The woman's husband is known to be fighting in the Kharkiv region.
On October 18th (local time), the Ukrainian Military Strategic Communication and Information Security Center (SPRAVDI) released a video showing soldiers presumed to be North Korean lining up to receive Russian supplies. Yonhap News Agency
The nurse complained that the ward was reorganized to accommodate the injured North Korean soldiers and that they were receiving "special treatment." She lamented, "If they are not elites, then what are they?" and said, "A ward was secured for them. Why do these people get privileges?" She went on to say, "If the North Korean soldiers ask for anesthesia injections, I will refuse," adding, "I can't understand a word they say. I'll just tell them to 'go to hell'." She also made racist remarks using profanity, saying, "They all look the same, so it's impossible to tell them apart. It might be better to mark their foreheads with a marker." Furthermore, she added, "It's really like a zoo. Soon, there won't be anyone left to talk to."
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (DUI) estimated that as of the 14th, about 200 casualties had occurred in Russian combat units that included North Korean soldiers, and reported at least 30 additional casualties on the 16th. Domestic intelligence agencies also officially confirmed the deaths of North Korean soldiers. On the 20th, Lee Seong-gwon, a ruling party member of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee from the People Power Party, stated, "The Kursk region has become the fiercest battleground due to Russia's final territorial recapture offensive," adding, "It is estimated that about 11,000 North Korean soldiers are deployed in this area, and some have been actually engaged in combat since the beginning of this month." The National Intelligence Service explained, "At least 100 deaths and 1,000 injuries occurred during this process. There is also evidence that around 20 casualties, including high-ranking officials, occurred previously due to Ukrainian attacks and training accidents," and added, "The background of these casualties includes being consumed as frontline assault troops in an unfamiliar open battlefield environment and insufficient response to drone attacks."
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