Videos and satellite images allegedly show North Korean soldiers in Russia: report

Additional videos and satellite images posted on social media suggest that North Korean soldiers are at Russian training areas for possible deployment in the war in Ukraine, the Washington Post reported.

Videos and screenshots uploaded to Telegram by a pro-Russian military channel, Para Pax, show soldiers who appear to be North Koreans at the Sergeevka military training facility near Vladivostok in Russia's Far East, the newspaper reported on Saturday.

Satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies indicate increased activity at the training area in recent weeks, the newspaper said, which may confirm claims by South Korea, the United States and their allies that the North is sending its soldiers to fight alongside Russia War against Ukraine.

South Korea and the United States said about 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been sent to Russia for possible deployment to the front lines. Ukraine has claimed the North is preparing to send about 12,000 troops.

Both Pyongyang and Moscow initially dismissed the reports as unfounded. But this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's deputy foreign minister did not deny the reports, suggesting they do in fact acknowledge the troop deployment.

The newspaper said a video filmed North Korean soldiers wearing Russian military uniforms and backpacks marching past a concrete mesh fence while the person filming them said in Russian: “Let's go.”

The newspaper also reported, citing Maxar's satellite images, that new structures had been built and new equipment installed at the Sergeevka training ground.

Earlier this week, Astra, a supposedly independent Russian media outlet, published a video showing a group of soldiers, apparently North Koreans, standing outside the military training area in Vladivostok and talking in North Korean accents.

Last week, an organization linked to the Ukrainian government revealed video footage of men who appeared to be North Korean soldiers preparing to deploy to a Russian military training center.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that his intelligence service believes Russia is likely to send North Korean troops to the battlefield on October 27-28. (Yonhap)