North Korean troops bolster Russian ranks in fierce clashes
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 own 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, but 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. 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, such as 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.
"They were quickly utilized in assaults, after which the Russians move to fortify positions already taken by the Koreans. They are the best prepared in terms of physical fitness. They are good shooters. They do not fear engaging in combat with drones - they shoot down drones with weapons. They do not leave their wounded behind. They always try to evacuate them," explained the Ukrainian commander.
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, including those 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 devices with a camera providing real-time viewing, usually commercial devices modified by adding a few pounds of explosives, which are detonated upon hitting the target. Both Ukrainians and Russians are increasingly turning to fiber-optic drones. These constructions, where transmission is carried out via fiber optic, guarantee pilots better visibility (higher quality of transmitted image) and, most importantly, are not susceptible to electronic warfare systems.
