Seoul, Dec 17 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shared a video he claimed to be of a Russian soldier setting fire to the body of a North Korean soldier killed in combat against Ukraine, saying that the move aimed to hide the presence of North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia.
Zelensky made the claim in a video he uploaded to social media on Tuesday. It contained footage showing what appeared to be a partially burning corpse, with the English subtitle "Russians try to conceal the faces of North Korean soldiers even after death".
The 30-second video also featured a close-up of a suspected North Korean soldier and other footage showing a soldier with Asian features saying 'No, no' to the camera while another figure says in the background, "Tell him to put on a mask. Put the mask on."
Zelensky denounced the Russian military for deploying North Korean troops and attempting to conceal their presence, saying Moscow should be held accountable for such a "demonstration of disrespect".
"Russia not only sends the North Korean troops to storm Ukrainian positions, but also tries to conceal losses of these people," he said.
"And now, after first combats with our warriors, Russians are trying… to literally burn the faces of North Korean soldiers killed in battle."
The release of the video came amid concerns over Russia and North Korea's deepening military cooperation and criticism that the deployed North Korean troops will be used as 'cannon fodder' in the war, Yonhap news agency reported.
On Saturday, Ukraine's Defence Intelligence authorities said some 200 Russian and North Korean soldiers were estimated to have been killed while fighting in combined units against Ukrainian forces. It did not specify the number of casualties for each side.
A White House official said on Monday that the United States believes North Korea has suffered 'significant' troop losses, in what marked the first time that Washington publicly confirmed North Korean fatalities during Russia's war against Ukraine.
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