A video circulating on social networks X and Telegram purports to show an interview with a North Korean soldier who fought in the Battle of Kursk in Russia and claims to be the sole survivor of a small unit of 40 North Korean soldiers.

Multiple sources are sharing the video on social networks, but so far there is no official confirmation of the authenticity of these claims.

Some social media accounts labeled the video as propaganda, suggesting it was fabricated, while others claimed it was genuine, claiming they could identify the North Korean dialect spoken by the alleged survivor.

Meanwhile, Korean news site n.nevs.naver.com published a report on the footage in Korean.

The video shows a man with visible facial injuries lying in a hospital bed. His speech is short and fragmented, with an English translation.

According to these translations, a unit of 40 North Korean soldiers came under heavy Ukrainian artillery fire and drone attack in the Kursk region.

The wounded soldier says in the statement:

"The Russian army lied to us saying that we would not be attacked if we stayed in protected zones ... and that we would never be deployed on the front lines."

The soldier further claims:

"However, the Russian army recklessly forced us into the offensive during the Battle of Kursk. They didn't do any reconnaissance before the attack and left us without weapons to defend ourselves."

This isn't real, is it? 🤷

Reported as a North Korean complaining after Ukraine bombed them in the Kursk region of Russia. pic.twitter.com/p2W22q8D2T

— Kvist.P 🇩🇰🇺🇦 (@kvistp) October 31, 2024

"When Ukraine attacked... We were 40 people, including my friends, and they were all killed," he added.

“I heard stories about the liberation war from my grandfather, but nothing like this. In reality, we…our comrades were treated as food, sacrificed. The Ukrainian soldiers are well armed with the latest weapons and highly motivated... On the other hand, the Russian army has suffered great losses in equipment and recklessly deploys soldiers like us on the offensive. With my own eyes I saw mountains of corpses of Russian soldiers, as well as destroyed defensive positions. Putin will lose this war," the soldier allegedly concludes in the video.

Zelensky denies?

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that North Korean forces in Russia have not yet faced Ukrainian troops or engaged in any battles.

"To date, North Korean forces have not participated in the fighting. They are preparing to join the battle in Kursk," Zelensky said, rejecting media reports that North Korean and Ukrainian forces have already clashed and that North Korean soldiers have died in the fighting.

He also dismissed a CNN report that claimed some North Korean soldiers had crossed into Ukraine, calling it false.

However, he warned that conflicts could soon become a reality.

"Not yet, but it seems that this issue will come up in a few days, not months," Zelensky said.