Russian paramilitary soldiers were accidentally targeted and killed by North Korean troops in a recent bout of friendly fire, according to Ukrainian officials.

In a statement published on Saturday, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) detailed how Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) soldiers have recently assisted Russian troops in the Kursk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian officials estimate that around 11,000 DPRK personnel are stationed in Russia.

“The aggressor state of Russia has begun to use DPRK soldiers in assault operations in the Kursk region, in particular, as part of the combined units of the marines and airborne troops of the Russian Armed Forces,” the statement read. 

“The North Korean troops suffer sanitary and irreversible losses as a result of a successful fire attack by the Ukrainian Security and Defense Forces,” the DIU added. “In particular, at one of the positions in the Kursk region, the DPRK army was effectively targeted by FPV drones.”

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The DIU noted that, in a recent incident, the language barrier between Russian and North Korean troops ultimately led to the death of eight soldiers in the Akhmat special forces unit, which is a paramilitary group in Chechnya. 

“When using the DPRK troops on the battlefield, the language barrier remains problematic to control and coordinate actions,” the statement said.

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Russian Minister of Defense, Andrey Belousov (L) meets with his North Korean counterpart No Kwang Chol (R) in Pyongyang, North Korea on November 29, 2024. (RUS Defense Ministry/Vadim Savitsky / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Because of this problem, North Korean soldiers opened ‘friendly fire’ on the vehicles of the so-called Akhmat battalion,” the DIU added. “As a result, they killed eight Kadyrovite soldiers.”

This latest development in the Russo-Ukrainian war came as the Russian military continued to pummel Ukraine’s power grid, taking advantage of freezing conditions to devastate the country’s largest energy company. 

This photo taken on October 18, 2023, shows North Korean soldiers waving their national flags as they welcome Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after he landed at the airport in Pyongyang. (KIM WON JIN/AFP via Getty Images)

In one of the largest-ever mass attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, Russian forces fired nearly 100 missiles, including cruise missiles, and 200 drones across Western Ukraine on Friday, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

Clean-up operations have begun in the French overseas territory of Mayotte, a day after Cyclone Chido barrelled across the archipelago.

Footage released by the French Civil Protection agency showed rescue services and armed forces cleaning up debris and trees strewn across the streets.

The French Interior Ministry said it was proving difficult to get a precise tally of the dead and injured in Mayotte but so far 11 deaths have been confirmed.

Speaking to a local TV station earlier on Sunday, Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville said, “I think there are some several hundred dead, maybe we’ll get close to a thousand.”

A hospital in Mayotte reported that nine people were in critical condition there and 246 others were injured.

Cyclone Chido blew through the southeastern Indian Ocean, also affecting the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar.

Mayotte was directly in the path of the cyclone and suffered extensive damage on Saturday, officials said.

Chido brought winds in excess of 220kph, according to the French weather service, ripping roofs off houses in the archipelago which has a population of just over 300,000.

In some parts, entire neighbourhoods of metal shacks and huts were flattened, while residents reported many trees had been uprooted, boats flipped or sunk and the electricity supply knocked out.

Officials in Mayotte said it was the worst cyclone to hit the territory almost a century.

The French Interior Ministry said 1,600 police and gendarmerie officers have been deployed to “help the population and prevent potential looting.”

More than 100 rescuers and firefighters have been deployed in Mayotte from France and the nearby territory of Reunion and an additional reinforcement of 140 people was sent on Sunday.

France has also sent aid to the island aboard military planes.

Mayotte is France’s poorest department and has previously struggled with drought and lack of investment.

It’s also been plagued by gang violence and tensions spiked earlier this year due to a widespread water shortage.

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The cyclone has now made landfall on the east coast of Africa, slamming into northern Mozambique.

UNICEF said Cabo Delgado province, home to around two million people, had been hit hard.

“UNICEF is concerned about the immediate impacts of this cyclone: the loss of life, the damage to schools, to people’s homes, to health care facilities,” said Guy Taylor, UNICEF Mozambique’s chief advocacy and communications officer.

“We’re also worried about the longer-term impacts: children potentially being cut off from learning for weeks on end, people unable to get access to health care and the potential spread of waterborne diseases like cholera and malaria,” said Guy Taylor, UNICEF Mozambique’s chief advocacy and communications officer.”

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CLEVELAND (AP) — The only thing the Chiefs had to worry about in the final minutes Sunday was Patrick Mahomes’ ankle.

Mahomes threw two touchdown passes before limping off with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter, Xavier Worthy ran for a score and Kansas City finally had a relatively easy win, 21-7 over the mistake-prone Cleveland Browns.

Mahomes connected for TDs in the first half with Juju Smith-Schuster and Noah Gray as the Chiefs (13-1) built a 21-0 lead and then slogged their way through an ugly second half.

The defending Super Bowl champions have 10 wins by seven points or less, with six coming on the game’s final play.

Mahomes didn’t finish the game, leaving when he got his ankle rolled up on while being tackled by Dalvin Tomlinson on a fourth-down incompletion. Carson Wentz replaced him for the final 5:23. Mahomes finished 19 of 38 for 159 yards.

After the game, Mahomes said X-rays were negative. He said he would have lobbied harder to stay in if the Browns had gotten within one score.

“We’ll get into the rehab part, the treatment part and try to get back on a short week,” said Mahomes, noting the Chiefs will play again Saturday — the second of three games in 11 days. “With all the adrenaline from the game, it’s hard to tell now (if he can play). Usually, it’s the day after when you get a good sense of it.”

Before Wentz went in, Mahomes had his left ankle re-taped while on the bench. He walked gingerly off the field but didn’t favor it while in the locker room or going to his postgame news conference. He was driven to the Chiefs’ buses on a cart.

Coach Andy Reid was relieved Mahomes was not more seriously hurt.

“It’s not broken, that’s all I can tell you,” Reid said. “We’ll have to see how it goes down the road.”

The Browns (3-11) tried to put up a fight, but had six turnovers. Other than a 62-yard TD run from Jerome Ford, Cleveland had few offensive highlights and too many self-inflicted miscues.

Jameis Winston threw more three interceptions — two in the end zone to give him eight in his last three games — and the Browns had two fumbles. The five turnovers made things much easier on Mahomes and the Chiefs, not that they needed a lot of help.

Cleveland running back Nick Chubb suffered a broken foot. It’s another setback for the star, who had a devastating knee injury last season.

Winston was pulled after his third pick and replaced by second-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who also was intercepted. Coach Kevin Stefanski would not commit to a starter for next week.

“You can not turn the ball over six times and expect to win,” Stefanski said. “At any level.”

Cleveland’s Jerry Jeudy had 11 catches for 108 yards and went over 1,000 for the season.

The Chiefs’ second TD — Mahomes’ 6-yard pass to Gray with 4:46 left in the first half — came on the same play Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett left the field in extreme pain with an apparent eye injury.

Garrett was rushing Mahomes and being blocked by Chiefs left tackle Joe Thuney when he suddenly stopped. The league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year immediately grabbed his face mask and pulled off his helmet, flinging it away before dropping to the turf.

He was face down for several minutes before being helped off. As Garrett walked toward the locker room holding a towel to his face, Thuney came over and patted him on the back. Garrett was only gone for a short period before he ran back on to the field and finished the game.

“Thank God, he’s OK,” Stefanski said.

The Chiefs took a 21-0 lead early in the third, capitalizing on a pick by Winston that went off Chubb’s hands. Four plays later, Worthy took a deep pitch from Mahomes, turned the corner and scored.

Kansas City’s first score was set up by Cleveland’s first turnover.

After the Browns forced a three-and-out on Kansas City’s first possession, Cleveland’s James Proche II fumbled during a punt return and the Chiefs recovered at the 21.

Mahomes then connected with Schuster for a 7-yard TD with 12:12 left in the first quarter.

Notable no-show

Taylor Swift ended her world tour. She decided not to hit the road in the NFL just yet.

The pop superstar had been expected to attend the game to cheer on boyfriend Travis Kelce, the Chiefs tight end who grew up in Cleveland. But Swift, who turned 35 on Friday, wasn’t on hand despite rumors she would make an appearance.

Taylor has been at several Chiefs games in Kansas City the past two seasons since she began dating Kelce.

Injuries

Chiefs: S Chamarri Conner suffered a concussion while making a tackle in the second quarter. … Kelce came up limping after an early play, but walked it off and stayed in. He left the locker room before reporters had access.

Browns: CB Martin Emerson Jr. went to the locker room in the second quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. He did not return. … DT Shelby Harris (elbow) went out in the second quarter.

Up next

Chiefs: Host Houston on Dec. 21 before visiting Pittsburgh on Christmas Day.

Browns: At Cincinnati on Sunday.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL