North Korean troops in Russia gain drone skills amid heavy losses
According to information from the South Korean intelligence agency (NIS), Pyongyang soldiers who were sent to fight against Ukraine are learning about tactics and drone operations. The Yonhap agency reported that this may indicate planned cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang in unmanned aerial vehicle technology.
So far, as part of aid to the Russian army, Kim Jong Un has sent approximately 11,000 of his soldiers. They have joined the fighting in the Kursk region, where they are experiencing significant losses. Ukrainian commanders and captured North Korean prisoners explained that this is primarily due to drones, which have most surprised the North Koreans.
North Korean soldiers are training in drone operations
As early as February, Ukrainians began noticing the first signs that North Korean soldiers were changing tactics and trying to avoid drones more effectively. After training in Russia, they may be significantly more adept in the realities of the Russo-Ukrainian war. This also raises concerns in South Korea, particularly regarding the potential for increased drone production by Kim Jong Un’s regime.
"We are watching the possibility of cooperation between the two sides in the unmanned aerial vehicle sector as there is a situation in which the dispatched North Korean military is receiving drone control and tactics from Russia", stated the NIS in its communiqué.
Disturbing reports are also coming from Japan
Japanese television NHK, based on its sources, also reported that North Korea plans to start mass production of drones, which will be developed in cooperation with Russia. According to the broadcaster, Moscow intends to provide Pyongyang with the necessary technology in exchange for the deployment of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region.
The regime in North Korea is also conducting its work on the development of unmanned aerial vehicles. At the end of November last year, Kim Jong Un ordered the start of mass production of so-called loitering munitions, believing that such machines have become a key element in the country’s military strategy.
The Yonhap agency emphasises that at the cost of losses among its soldiers, the North Korean army can gain skills in conducting warfare using drones. In the future, this may pose a serious threat to South Korea.
