Petro Andryushchenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, noted that the training ground between Mariupol and the village of Sartana was built recently, just after the first DPRK instructors were "covered" near Donetsk.
Points of attention
- Recent construction of a military training ground near Mariupol involving DPRK and Russian occupiers has raised concerns
- The presence and collaboration of North Korean instructors in building and protecting the training ground signifies a strategic partnership between DPRK and Russia
- The establishment of a new military base near Azovstal in the demolished area of Mariupol highlights the aggressive military buildup in the region
- The training ground is utilized for practicing the use of North Korean weapons supplied to the Russian army, indicating a concerning trend of weapon training and coordination
- The attack on the training ground near Donetsk resulted in casualties, including six officers from North Korea, underlining the volatile situation and clashes in the area
North Korea and Russia jointly built a training ground near Mariupol
The occupiers began to build another military base, which will be located somewhere near Azovstal. This base will be in the area of Mariupol that has been completely demolished.
This is indicative, because a huge quarter with a perimeter of 5 km was demolished. And instead of it will be a military base. It cannot be said that there is a crazy pace of development. So far, the occupiers have enough of the plant named after Ilyich, which they use as a military base, as well as parts of the Azovstal plant, which remained in the vicinity, where the Russians are based and hide air defense systems.

Petro Andryushchenko
Advisor to the Mayor of Mariupol
According to him, the occupiers built a training ground between Mariupol and the village of Sartana. They were helped in this by instructors from North Korea, who are still being recorded there, because they, together with the Russians, protect this training ground.
During training at this training ground, the occupiers block the roads, record what, where and how much is moving, that is, it is such a separate training ground, unlike those that exist today or worked before. According to our information, it is on it that they train to use North Korean weapons, which are supplied to the Russian army quite actively.
This training ground was built recently, just after the first instructors of the DPRK were "covered" near Donetsk at the same training ground (this is the strike on October 3, 2024 on the occupied territory near Donetsk, when 20 occupiers died, including six officers from North Korea — ed.). And now, for the sake of security, they moved to Mariupol, because it is still the rear for them, Petro Andryushchenko commented.
Six officers from the DPRK died on the Ukrainian front
More than 20 occupiers were killed as a result of a powerful rocket attack, which was carried out by Ukrainian soldiers on the territory of the Donetsk region temporarily occupied by Russia on October 3. Among them were 6 officers from North Korea.
This was reported by several Ukrainian mass media at once with reference to their sources in military intelligence.
In addition, it is emphasized that three more North Korean servicemen were injured.
According to reports from Russian social networks, before the missile attack, the Russians demonstrated to North Korean representatives the training of personnel for assault and defense.