Three ‘armed and dangerous’ North Koreans are on the run accused of murdering five Russian servicemen after being sent to support Vladimir Putin’s forces – they have now been missing more than a week
A manhunt has been launched for three North Korean soldiers who allegedly murdered five Russian servicemen.
The men from Kim-Jong-un’s army were sent to fight with Russia as part of an estimated 11,000-strong contingent dispatched to help Vladimir Putin’s forces fight off a Ukrainian invasion. But the three are now accused of shooting their Russian comrades, who are all marines, before going on the run with their army weapons. A poster allegedly shows the pictures of the wanted North Korean fighters who were described as “armed and dangerous”, though did not name them. They have now been missing for more than a week and could be in the Kursk, Belgorod, Bryansk, or Oryol regions of Russia, say reports.
The alleged massacre took place near the village of Bolshoye Soldatskoye, in Kursk region, according to Telegram’s The Spy Dossier Channel, which is reported to have links to Russian intelligence. The five killed Russians were servicemen with the 810th Separate Marine Brigade, military unit 13140, from Sevastopol in occupied Crimea, it said.
The poster, which appears to be from the Interior Ministry of Kursk, said: “Military personnel from the DPRK [North Korea], according to preliminary information, committed the murder of five servicemen of the 810th Brigade of the Marine Corps and fled the location of the unit. They may be moving as a group in the territories of the Kursk, Belgorod, Bryansk, and Oryol regions. The criminals are armed and dangerous. If spotted, take personal safety measures and report to the Kursk Region Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”
The motive for the alleged killing is not clear. The “shooting” is alleged to have been covered up by the Russian authorities, who do not normally admit to the presence of North Korean forces helping Putin’s war effort.
Crimean Wind Telegram channel said: “The search for them has been ongoing for a week now, but they still have not been found.” The Russian defence ministry has not commented on the alleged massacre.
Earlier, it was reported that North Korean fighters had opened ‘friendly fire’ on Russian soldiers from Chechnya, killing eight, in a case of mistaken identity on the frontline. It comes amid claims North Koreans are suffering heavy losses fighting for Putin in Russia, especially from Ukrainian drone strikes. There have been reports that as many as 4,000 have been killed or maimed.
