North Korean troops face losses in Russian-Ukrainian conflict
The Russian media have released the first official footage showing the training of North Korean soldiers. After initial losses, the Kremlin ensured that the forces sent by its ally were equipped and familiarized with the realities of the war against Ukrainians, where artillery and drones predominate.
On Monday, April 28, North Korea confirmed for the first time that it had sent its soldiers to Russia for "liberating the Kursk area to repel the adventurous invasion of the Russian Federation by the Ukrainian authorities." Vladimir Putin thanked them for their support and added that Ukrainian troops had been pushed out of this region (although Kyiv denies this).
Huge losses of Koreans at Kursk
Neither the propaganda messages nor the video material presented by the Russians detailing the training of the North Koreans reveal the losses suffered by Kim Jong Un's forces. Ukrainians and Western intelligence agencies believe that Pyongyang has sent about 14,000 of its soldiers to Russia. They estimate that about 5,000 of them have been eliminated from combat (this number includes those killed and wounded).
Drones decimated North Korean forces
According to Ukrainians, the large losses of North Koreans are primarily due to their initial unpreparedness for the realities of the ongoing conflict and their clash with Ukrainian tactics, which largely rely on drones and artillery. This was confirmed by North Korean prisoners who were captured.
Ukrainians mainly use FVP (first person view) drones, typically small, commercial models equipped with a camera providing a real-time view. These are modified for warfare by adding a few kilograms of explosives or grenades or bombs. Only after the initial significant losses did the Russians begin to train the forces sent by their ally, resulting in a noticeable change in the tactics used by the North Koreans.
Among the weapons used by North Korean soldiers fighting on the Russian side, the Russian equipment, such as AK-12 rifles and Vepr-12 semi-automatic shotguns, which likely also served as anti-drone weapons, was noted. Both North Koreans and Russians also use North Korean Type 73 machine guns and, like Ukrainians, drones (including fiber-optic drones).
