Zelensky: "Meaningful Work"... No Further Explanation
North Korean Forces Driven to Human Wave Tactics Amid Harsh Conditions
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, claimed that one battalion of North Korean troops deployed on the Russian Kursk front was annihilated within two days.
On the 4th (local time), Ukrainian media RBC and others reported that President Zelensky revealed this during his regular video address that night.
President Zelensky said, “Fighting took place on the 3rd and 4th in the village of Makhnovka, Kursk Oblast, resulting in the Russian forces losing one battalion composed of North Korean infantry and Russian paratroopers.”
He added that it was a “meaningful event,” but did not provide further specific details. Foreign media generally interpret “one battalion” as referring to several hundred personnel.
Earlier, in October last year, North Korea deployed approximately 12,000 troops to the fiercely contested Kursk region to support Russia, which is at war with Ukraine. These troops are reported to be fighting under harsh conditions.
Sabrina Singh, Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, referred to a White House announcement during an online briefing on December 30 last year, stating that over 1,000 personnel had been killed or wounded in the past 7 to 8 days, and assessed that “the attacks carried out by North Korean troops in the Kursk region have not been very effective.”
Mykhailo Makaruk, Operations Sergeant of Ukraine’s 8th Special Operations Regiment, in an interview with RFA on December 27 last year, reported that when searching for deceased North Korean soldiers in Kursk, most of the rifles used by North Korean soldiers were old Kalashnikov rifles (AK-47), and modern equipment such as radios was rarely found.
President Zelensky announced that as of the 23rd of last month, North Korean casualties were estimated to exceed 3,000. However, Russian forces are reportedly pushing Ukrainian troops by continuously deploying North Korean troops despite heavy casualties, employing human wave tactics.
John Kirby, National Security Communications Coordinator at the White House National Security Council (NSC), said during an online briefing that day, “Currently, North Korean troops are launching large-scale dismounted attacks against Ukrainian forces in Kursk,” and added, “These human wave tactics appear to have caused massive casualties among North Korean troops.”
He continued, “Russian and North Korean commanders treat these troops as expendable and are ordering hopeless attacks against Ukrainian forces.”
AFP reported that Russia is estimated to have occupied nearly 4,000 square meters of Ukrainian territory last year alone, based on its own analysis.
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