North Korean troops suffer heavy losses in Russian battles
In Russia's Kursk region, approximately a thousand North Korean soldiers were killed in clashes with Ukrainian forces, reports the BBC, citing anonymous Western officials. It is suggested that Putin uses the troops sent by Kim Jong Un as cannon fodder. They are deployed in various positions for which they are not always adequately trained.
There were intense battles in Russia's Kursk region, during which about a thousand North Korean soldiers were killed. This information was reported by the BBC, citing anonymous Western officials. In total, 11,000 North Korean soldiers fought in Russia, with 4,000 killed, wounded, missing, or captured.
In the last 24 hours, the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) killed 21 and wounded 40 North Korean soldiers who attacked Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region of Russia. The clash between the two sides lasted for more than eight hours.
Dramatic situation of North Korean soldiers
It is unclear where the wounded North Korean soldiers are being treated or whether they will be replaced with new reinforcements. However, Kim Jong Un has already announced that he will send additional troops to the front lines. Radio Free Asia revealed that the fallen soldiers are posthumously accepted into the Workers' Party of Korea, and their families are not informed about the circumstances of their deaths or their involvement in the war.
On January 11, Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukrainian services (SBU) had captured two North Korean soldiers who are being treated in Kyiv and are being interrogated regularly. The interrogations have so far determined that soldiers are sent blindly to the front, often without realizing whom they will be fighting against.
These testimonies are confirmed by former British Army tank commander, Col. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon.
Quite frankly they don't stand a chance. They are being thrown into the meat grinder with little chance of survival. They are cannon fodder, and the Russian officers care even less for them than they do for their own men, he says in an interview with the BBC.
Ukrainian troops entered the Kursk region on August 6, 2024. The aim of the offensive was to force the Russians to transfer some forces from the Donbas. By the end of August, Kyiv controlled 480 square miles of this region, but since September, Ukrainian forces have begun to lose ground due to the Russian counteroffensive.
