Engineers said to be supporting missile launches and reports of North Koreans killed near Donetsk

North Korean military engineers have been deployed to help Russia target Ukraine with ballistic missiles, and North Koreans operating in occupied areas of Ukraine have already been killed, senior officials in Kyiv and Seoul said.

There are dozens of North Koreans behind Russian lines, in teams that “support launcher systems for KN-23 missiles”, a source in Ukraine told the Guardian.

Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, last year travelled to Russia for a summit with Vladimir Putin where the two men bolstered their deepening ties with a secret arms deal.

Pyongyang’s ammunition shipments were vital in allowing Russian forces to advance in a grinding war of attrition in eastern Ukraine this summer. But it appears increasingly clear that the agreement went beyond supplying materiel.

  • BetaBlake@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I don’t see that happening, but people aren’t going to be supporting Russia (or shouldn’t) since they’re the enemy in all this

    • McDropout@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      The enemy according to who?

      The western allies, western international law, UN, etc has showed us all last year that words like enemy, terrorist, ally is all relative.

      Israel occupies Palestine since 1948, and the western allies support it ever since, till this very day. And they also support a genocide in Gaza, Gaza being under siege, collective punishment, arming genocidal terrorists (IDF), arming illegal settlers in the West Bank.

      These same allies are supporting Ukraine. Now let‘s deduct who‘s the enemy in this formula.

      • TAYRN@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Oh, I got this. The “enemy” is the one who invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine without provocation. Good job finding an entirely new topic to talk about. Distract. Good tactic.

        • McDropout@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Also. I want to inform you of an analogy. But if my friend is funding killing of other people but is actively supporting me then I‘ll question the friendship.

          But people like you would say that killing other people is a distraction as long as I have a good supportive friend!

          But hey, that‘s me! xD

        • McDropout@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          It‘s connected. Unless you see the suffering of white people the only important thing and everything is a distraction.

          We can talk about how Russia is actively killing Syrians in Syria and aiding the Assad regime. But Russia isn‘t a country to claim its position of „human rights but only for white people“ like Germany, France, USA, etc.

          Ukraine doesn’t belong to the EU, is not a member of NATO. Why all this aid? The EU is sunk into one of highest inflation in its history to support a foreign nation. Ukrainian refugees are treated way better than non-white refugees in central and western Europe.

          • TAYRN@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            That’s an interesting point, and human rights are certainly into question, but I’d ask when the last time Germany, France, USA, etc, declared war and invaded a sovereign nation.

            • McDropout@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              you including the USA is funny like USA invaded multiple sovereign countries on baseless reasons… with impunity (because of their immunity to international law).

              They invaded Afghanistan to replace the Taliban… with the Taliban. They killed 1.5+ million Iraqis when they accused Iraq to have weapons of mass destruction that didn‘t exist. The american army tortured Iraqi citizens in Abu Ghraib prisons in documented ways against international law… with impunity. This is in 2000-2004. Only 2 decades ago.

              And let‘s not get started with how proxies are now doing their dirty work for them. The american proxy Israel invaded sovereign nation Lebanon a couple of days ago. How much money did the USA send Israel in weapons last year alone?

              Does Russia fund proxies? Sure. Does Russia claim to be the beacon of human rights? Not that I know of.

              But it‘s Russia that needs to be sanctioned, banned from sporting events, be called my enemy etc and the USA runs free from bombing Libya a couple of years ago.

              But Libyans, Iraqis, Afghanis and Lebanese are unfortunately not… human. They‘re muslims! Terrorists! Kill them all!

              And Ukrainians are white! Sklava Ukraini!! 🇺🇦

              • TAYRN@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                Oh, absolutely. The USA’s war(s) in Afghanistan and their role in the middle east are abhorant and unforgivable. Just like their roles in destabilizing South America, etc.

                And Russia should also be sanctioned, banned, etc. for attacking Ukraine. Just like they should’ve for Crimea.

                • McDropout@lemmy.world
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                  2 months ago

                  Abhorrent and unforgivable but…. not sanctionable.

                  Russia‘s actions however are abhorrent and unforgivable and… sanctionable and we‘re willing to drive our own European citizens into endless inflation to protect a sovereign nation.

                  • TAYRN@lemmy.world
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                    2 months ago

                    Sanctions are meant to prevent a current action. Reparations are meant to pay for past atrocities.

                    If you were asking the USA, Germany, France, etc. to pay reparations, I’d see your point. But currently Russia is killing Ukrainians because they want more land. Sanctions are, sadly, one of the best ways to prevent more innocent deaths.

          • Custodian1623@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            The US and EU not supporting human rights across the board does not make supporting Ukraine the wrong decision

    • McDropout@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      The enemy according to who?

      The western allies, western international law, UN, etc has showed us all last year that words like enemy, terrorist, ally is all relative.

      Israel occupies Palestine since 1948, and the western allies support it ever since, till this very day. And they also support a genocide in Gaza, Gaza being under siege, collective punishment, arming genocidal terrorists (IDF), arming illegal settlers in the West Bank.

      These same allies are supporting Ukraine. Now let‘s deduct who‘s the enemy in this formula.