Russian forces allegedly raise North Korean flag near Pokrovsk
Photo: Russian forces could have hung the DPRK flag near Pokrovsk (t.me/Tsaplienko)
Russian forces have allegedly raised the North Korean flag in the Pokrovsk direction as part of an attempt to intimidate Ukrainians, according to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), and journalist Andrii Tsaplienko.
North Korean flag
On October 21, journalist Tsaplienko said that Russian forces may have raised both Russian and North Korean flags near the temporarily occupied village of Tsukuryne in the Donetsk region, located 20 kilometers from Pokrovsk.
Kovalenko’s reaction
Kovalenko noted that such enemy actions are “solely part of information operations.”
“They are now amplifying the North Korea topic and trying to use it as fear propaganda against Ukraine. They will try to frighten people as much as possible, twisting true information about 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia into false claims of hundreds of thousands,” he added.
He also mentioned that while North Korean troops are indeed being prepared for the war against Ukraine, the scale is far smaller than the enemy claims.
“That’s why we’ll hear stories about flags, whether they were actually raised or photoshopped, and no matter how long they are there,” Kovalenko added.
North Korea assists Russia with soldiers
On October 16, RBC-Ukraine reported that North Korean soldiers are being trained in Russia’s Far East. Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that North Korea is now assisting Russia with soldiers.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, stated that as of November, around 11,000 North Korean soldiers could be fighting against Ukraine. SPRAVDI showed a video of them already receiving Russian military uniforms.
