North Korean soldiers have probably been killed fighting for the Kremlin on the front lines in Ukraine, South Korea has said. Kim Yong-hyun, South Korea’s defence minister, said reports that six North Korean officers were killed last week in a missile strike near Donetsk were “highly likely”.

North Korean soldiers are reported to have been killed fighting alongside Russian forces in the war in Ukraine, with the secretive state a supporter of Vladimir Putin's invasion

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un toasted his “closest comrade” Vladimir Putin on Monday in a birthday message that claimed the countries’ deepening military alliance would make them “invincible”.