North Korean troops bolster Russian efforts in the Kursk region
Oleg Sziriew, commander of the 225th Separate Assault Regiment of the Ukrainian Army, highlighted the North Koreans' approach to the clashes in the Kursk region. In his assessment, the reinforcements sent by Pyongyang fight more fiercely than the Russians on their land.
– They never surrender. I don't recall a single instance where we've managed to take them captive. We retrieved a few individuals from the battlefield who were already wounded. Still, I think they died due to their injuries," said the Ukrainian commander about the North Korean soldiers in an interview with ABC News.
Ukrainian commander on clashes with Koreans
Sziriew believes that the soldiers from North Korea, after initial losses and being unprepared for the realities of the ongoing war, quickly became a leading element of Russian attacks. At the same time, he emphasizes that the North Koreans show great determination in the clashes and are even better prepared for them than the Russians. At times, they are even capable of fighting drones with handheld weapons (perhaps, for instance, a Vepr-12 semi-automatic shotgun found on the bodies of the fallen), and a heroic death on the battlefield is seen as a point of pride.
The Ukrainian commander described how North Korean soldiers are rapidly deployed in assault operations, after which Russian troops secure the positions the Koreans have captured. He emphasized that these soldiers are among the most physically prepared, skilled marksmen, and unafraid to confront drones directly, even managing to shoot them down with firearms. He also highlighted their commitment to their comrades, noting that they consistently attempt to evacuate their wounded rather than leave them behind.
The biggest problem for the Koreans is drones
Estimates from Western intelligence and Ukrainians suggest that approximately 11,000 to 12,000 soldiers from North Korea have so far been deployed to the Kursk region. About 5,000 of them have been eliminated from combat (this includes the killed and wounded), but Pyongyang will likely send additional reinforcements in their place.
From the interrogation of two prisoners, whose partial results have been made public, it emerged that Kim Jong Un's army was decimated primarily during its initial presence in the Kursk region. Mainly due to Ukrainian drones, against which they were unprepared.
The units sent by Kyiv mainly operate with small FVP (first-person view) drones in Russia. These are constructions with a camera providing real-time viewing, usually commercial devices modified by adding a few kilograms of explosives, which are detonated upon hitting the target. Both Ukrainians and Russians are increasingly turning to fibre-optic drones. These constructions, where transmission is carried out via fibre optics, guarantee pilots better visibility (higher quality of transmitted image), and most importantly, are not susceptible to electronic warfare systems.
