North Korean troops bolster Russian efforts in Kursk conflict
According to the Unian agency, citing conversations with Ukrainian military personnel, Koreans participating in clashes in the Kursk region "are trying to overwhelm the Ukrainian Defense Forces with superior numbers." At the same time, they are becoming increasingly dangerous as they adapt to the realities of the modern battlefield and learn from their experiences.
Ukrainian soldiers entered the Kursk region in August 2024, and the fighting continues to this day. Both Kyiv and Western intelligence agencies have denied Russian reports from early March this year about the alleged encirclement of Ukrainian soldiers and cutting them off from support. However, it is true that the Russians managed to regain part of this region, largely thanks to the presence of approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers sent by Pyongyang as support for Moscow.
This is how Koreans are used by Russians
The Unian agency confirms that the Russians use their allies as "cannon fodder," hoping that the sheer number of Koreans will be enough to break the Ukrainians. According to Ukrainian military personnel in the Kursk region, for every group of Russian troops, there are as many as three units of North Korean forces.
"For every Russian unit, there are three groups of North Korean soldiers whom the Russians don't spare at all. Due to their numerical advantage, they attempt to push this cannon fodder at us, directing them through our minefields and exposing our firing points. In this way, without considering their losses, they try to overwhelm us. We are now conducting manoeuvre defence. The Kursk operation is ongoing," emphasized the deputy commander of the 210th independent assault regiment.
Drones turned out to be a nightmare for Koreans
According to Ukrainian estimates, around 4,000 North Korean soldiers have been eliminated from the battlefield so far. This is mainly due to artillery and drones, against which Kim Jong Un's army was not prepared.
Various types of unmanned aerial vehicles are used on a large scale in the ongoing war. North Koreans are being decimated primarily by small FPV (first-person view) drones, commercial devices modified by Ukrainians for combat by adding explosive charges (referred to as kamikaze weapons) or grenades and bombs that are dropped on the enemy from above.
Increasingly, fibre-optic drones are being used (also by the Russians). These drones have worse manoeuvrability but are resistant to jammers and offer better image quality.
Koreans are learning lessons
In a conversation with the Unian agency, Ukrainian military personnel also emphasized that North Korean soldiers are learning from previous waves of attacks. It has been observed that they are changing tactics, moving now in smaller groups and over shorter distances. Earlier this year, Ukrainians reported that the next soldiers sent to Russia would undergo training before appearing on the battlefield, helping them better cope with the weapons used in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
"The enemy is trained and determined. They have a clear task: to capture the entire Kursk area as soon as possible and continue to apply pressure on us, especially considering the ongoing political negotiations," added the deputy commander of the 210th independent assault regiment.
