‘Hundreds’ of Russians wounded in Ukraine meat grinder sent to North Korea

Russian soldiers injured in the war in Ukraine are being treated for their wounds in North Korea .

The news, revealed by ’s ambassador to the hermit kingdom, comes as thousands of North Korean troops return to after Moscow withdrew them ​last month due to heavy losses.

However China which – unlike North Korea – has good and well-equipped hospitals, has not extended this offer to

North Korea and have significantly strengthened their relations over the past three years, further complicating the West’s response to the rising threat ​p​resented by ​the “axis of anarchy” – China, and Iran.

is believed to be sharing nuclear know-how with North Korean dictator Kim Jong​-un, and claims to have supplied coal, food, and medicine to the isolated dictatorship.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)- as North Korea is officially known -has responded with a raft of measures, from sending troops to bolster gaps in ’s forces and providing artillery​ ammunition and ballistic missiles, to offering special package deals allowing desperate Russian citizens- banned from European holiday spots – a few days on the ski slopes.

While a strategic partnership agreement ratified between Moscow and Pyongyang in October included trade, scientific, technical, and defence cooperation, it did not mention medical treatment for Russian soldiers​.

​But now Alexander Matsegora​​,​ ’s ambassador to North Korea​, has confirmed that “hundreds” of Russian troops are receiving medical treatment there, free of charge and in “the best hospitals and sanatoriums,”

“When we offered to compensate our (North Korean) friends for at least part of their expenses, they were sincerely offended and asked us never to do it again,” he added.

At least 839,040 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in the so-called “meatgrinder” since Putin launched his full invasion of almost three years ago, according to the country’s General Staff of the Armed Forces,

And only Russian officers are sent back to to have frontline wounds treated, it also claims, while rank and file have had to make do with makeshift hospitals in occupied parts of .

Last week Kim announced the building of three new hospitals during a speech marking the the 77th anniversary of the Korean People’s Army (KPA).

North Korean hospitals generally essential medications, equipment, and running water due to the international sanctions, an are subject to power cuts.

Around 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed in ‘s Kursk Oblast in October to support Russian troops in countering a Ukrainian incursion in the region.

Their presence relieved mounting pressures on ’s beleaguered armed forces, and offered Russian premier an alternative to conscripting the sons of Moscow’s elite – a move which would prove politically unpopular.

Though trained in , however, their performance on the battlefield -​ which differs greatly from the mountainous terrain they are accustomed to – is considered to have been poor, with 300 killed and 2,700 wounded, according to South Korean intelligence.

James Hoare, who was the UK’s first Chargé d’affaires​ to Pyongyang in 2000, said:”While the​re are ​slightly b​etter hospitals​ for the elite in Pyongyang, it is unlikely that Kim will allow Russian soldiers to run the public gauntlet to use them.

“The more rural hospitals have always been in a deplorable state, with many having no medicines at all, though ‘s supplies might help this.

“Certainly when I was there, we would be airlifted to China for any medical treatment. Beijing’s decision not to offer its far superior medical services show the extent to which it does not want to be involved with ‘s war in .”