North Korean forces challenge Ukrainian defences in Kursk battle
According to the Unian agency, citing discussions with Ukrainian military personnel, Koreans involved in clashes in the Kursk region are "attempting to overpower the Ukrainian Defence Forces with their numerical superiority." Simultaneously, they are becoming increasingly dangerous as they draw conclusions and adapt to the realities of the modern battlefield.
Ukrainian soldiers entered the Kursk region in August 2024. 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, although it is true that the Russians managed to regain part of this region, largely thanks to the support of about 12,000 North Korean soldiers, who were sent by Pyongyang to assist Moscow.
This is how Koreans are used by Russians
The Unian agency confirms that the Russians use their allies as "cannon fodder," continually hoping that the sheer number of Koreans will suffice to break the Ukrainians. According to Ukrainian military personnel involved in the fighting in the Kursk region, for every group of Russian troops, there are as many as three units of North Korean forces.
"For each Russian unit, there are three groups of North Korean soldiers whom the Russians do not spare at all. Due to their numerical superiority, they simply try to overwhelm us with this cannon fodder, directing them through our minefields and exposing our firing points. This way, regardless of losses, they try to crush us. We are now conducting manoeuvre defence. The Kursk operation is ongoing," emphasised the deputy commander of the 210th Independent Assault Regiment.
Drones turned out to be a nightmare for Koreans
According to Ukrainian estimates, so far, about 4,000 North Korean soldiers have been eliminated from the battlefield. This is mainly due to artillery and drones, against which Kim Jong Un's army was not at all prepared.
Various types of unmanned aerial vehicles are being used on a massive scale in the ongoing war. North Koreans are being decimated mainly 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 or bombs that are dropped on the enemy from above.
Increasingly, fibre-optic drones are being used (also by the Russians), which are characterised by worse manoeuvrability but are resistant to jammers and provide better image quality.
Koreans are learning lessons
In a conversation with the Unian agency, Ukrainian military personnel also emphasised that North Korean soldiers are learning lessons from previous waves of attacks. It can be observed that they are changing tactics, moving now in smaller groups and over shorter distances. At the beginning of 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, furious. The enemy has a clear task—to capture the entire Kursk area as soon as possible and continue to put pressure on us. Especially considering the ongoing political negotiations," added the deputy commander of the 210th Independent Assault Regiment.
