The soldiers of the 8th Regiment of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed a group of North Korean military personnel in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.

The SOF press service reported on this and published photos of the neutralized soldiers and their documents.

According to Ukrainian Special Operations Forces, 13 North Korean military personnel who fought on the side of Russia were killed during special operations.

“…the SOF soldiers killed five DPRK fighters in a small arms battle and eight more with the help of drones,” the statement reads.

After the battle, the Special Operations Forces operators examined the bodies of the neutralized DPRK military and their personal documents.

One of them had an assault rifle with a collimator sight, a Sino-Russian Azart radio station, and a drone detector. In addition, he had an ID card that differs from a regular military ID.

“The discovered items may indicate that he belongs to the officer corps,” the SOF noted.

Among other things, the North Korean soldier was carrying a letter of appeal to the ruling Workers’ Party of North Korea.

As previously reported, the families of North Korean soldiers killed during hostilities against Ukraine are obliged to sign non-disclosure documents.

An anonymous source from North Korea told Free Asia that the first death certificates of the military were handed over to their families.

“On December 18, my mother and I received a message that the Gyeongju City Party Committee summoned us to participate in a provincial party event. When we arrived in P’yŏngsŏng, we received a death certificate of my younger brother, who served in the special operations forces,” the source shared.

According to the source, they’ve been told at the event that the soldiers were killed during “sacred military exercises on which the honor of the Motherland depended.”