Pro-Russia Telegram channels were awash with reports on Friday that North Korean forces have recaptured a Ukrainian-held village in Kursk, breaking their silence on DPRK troop deployments in a possible sign of a shift in the Kremlin’s media strategy.

While NK News was unable to verify the reports, an expert said the fact that large propaganda channels are circulating the claims suggests an effort by Moscow to portray North Korean soldiers in a favorable light.

Details about North Korean soldiers storming the village of Plyokhovo “like a hurricane” and killing over 300 Ukrainian soldiers first appeared on Friday on the